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TO  THE  FRONT  FROM  WINCHESTER 


tru 


THRILLING    DAYS 
•  IN  ARMY  LIFE  © 

By  GENERAL  GEORGE 
A.  FORSYTH,  U.  S.  A. 

WITH      ILLUSTRATIONS 
BY     RUFUS     F.    ZOGBAUM 


HARPER    6-    BROTHERS 
NEW   YORK    AND    LONDON 


V>V- 


Copyright,  1900,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 
All  rights  reserved. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

A  Frontier  Fight 3 

An  Apache  Raid 79 

Sheridan's  Ride 125 

The  Closing  Scene  at  Appomattox  Court-house     .  171 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


TO  THE  FRONT   FROM   WINCHESTER Frontispiece 


THE  SURPRISE Fac 

THE  DEFIANCE   OF  ROMAN  NOSE 

IN  THE  PITS 

THE  DEFENCE  FROM  THE  ISLAND 

THE  RESCUE 

THE  RIDE  TO   THE   RESCUE 

THE  AMBUSCADE 

"'SHERIDAN!      SHERIDAN!'" 

"  *  STAY  HERE  AND  HELP  ME  FIGHT  THIS  CORPS  * " 

' '  '  HOLDING  ON  TO  MY  SADDLE,  THE  COLOR- 
BEARER   ACCOMPANIES  ME'  " 

FIGHTING  AGAINST    FATE 

GENEROUS  ENEMIES      

THE  LAST   VICTIM 

DEPARTURE  OF  GENERAL  LEE  AFTER  THE  SUR- 
RENDER  

THE  MESSAGE   OF  PEACE 


ngp. 


32 
50 
56 
66 
72 
84 
96 
146 
150 

162 
176 
182 
184 

194 

196 


A  FRONTIER  FIGHT 


A  FRONTIER  FIGHT 

A/1  ORE  than  twenty-five  years  agone  it  so  fell 
*  *  *■  out  that  I  was  an  actor  in  one  of  the  most 
important  Indian  campaigns  of  the  last  half  of 
the  present  century — the  second  of  a  series  of 
four  such  campaigns,  all  fought  since  our  civil 
war,  that  finally  broke  down  the  power  of  the 
various  semi-united  tribes,  compelled  them  to  ac- 
cept the  reservation  system,  and  has  practically 
ended  savage  warfare  within  the  present  limits 
of  the  United  States. 

Not  that  I  regard  the  Indian  question  as  settled, 
for  we  still  have  to  face  some  knotty  problems 
regarding  the  final  disposition  of  the  red  men,  and 
it  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  within  the  next  dec- 
ade there  will  be  more  or  less  fighting  of  a  san- 
guinary character  until  eventually  a  fixed  policy 
regarding  the  Indians  will  be  evolved,  and  their 
gradual  absorption  into  the  body  politic  will  take 
place.  It  is  the  story  in  detail  of  one  of  the  frontier 
fights  that  occurred  during  the  second  of  the  four 
campaigns  above  mentioned  that  I  now  propose 
to  tell.     In  the  summer  of  1868  I  was  on  duty  as 

3 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

acting  inspector-general  of  the  Department  of 
the  Missouri,  serving  in  that  capacity  upon  the 
staff  of  General  Philip  H.  Sheridan,  who  was 
then  in  command  of  that  military  department, 
with  headquarters  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas. 
The  geographical  limits  of  the  department  in- 
cluded the  States  of  Missouri,  Arkansas,  and 
Kansas,  and  the  three  territories  of  Colorado, 
New  Mexico,  and  Indian  Territory.  Incident- 
ally, the  campaign  of  which  I  write  carried  us 
somewhat  beyond  the  above-named  limits  on  the 
north,  and  into  northern  Texas  on  the  south. 
However,  within  the  boundaries  I  have  named, 
many  of  the  tribes  who  at  that  time  were  either 
openly  or  covertly  hostile  to  the  government  had 
their  hunting  grounds,  and  roamed  at  will  over 
the  plains  and  along  the  frontier  from  north- 
western Texas  on  the  south  to  the  British  pos- 
sessions on  the  north,  having  for  their  habitat 
all  of  the  then  unsettled  country  east  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  In  those  days  it  was  an 
Indian  paradise,  for  within  a  few  miles  of  the 
most  advanced  settlements,  plover,  quail,  and 
grouse  sprang  into  the  air  with  a  startled  whirr, 
and  fluttered  away  to  cover  in  every  direction,  as 
the  early  traveller  urged  his  horse  along  the  trail 
or  through  the  thick  grass  that  bordered  the  path 
on  his  journey's  way.  Wild  fowl  of  almost  every 
variety  nested  and  raised  their  young  fearlessly 

4 


A    FRONTIER    FIGHT 

in  the  reeds  along  the  course  of  the  rivers  and 
among  the  lakes  and  swamps  of  the  South  and 
West,  while  vast  flocks  of  wild  turkeys  feasted 
and  fattened  on  the  hazel  and  pecan-nuts  of 
Indian  Territory  and  Texas.  The  mountain 
streams  were  filled  with  trout,  and  far  in  the 
rugged  depths  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  brown, 
black,  and  grizzly  bear,  together  with  wild-cat 
and  mountain-lion,  gave  the  added  zest  of  dan- 
ger to  the  Indian  hunters ;  bands  of  elk  and  an- 
telope and  herds  of  deer  ranged  at  will  along  the 
streams  and  among  the  foot-hills  of  the  moun- 
tains, while  the  great  plains  were  at  times  cov- 
ered as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  with  vast  herds 
of  buffalo,  which  grazed,  comparatively  unmo- 
lested, from  Indian  Territory  on  the  south  to  the 
bad  lands  of  Dakota  on  the  north.  During  our 
great  civil  war,  from  1861  to  1865,  the  western 
and  southwestern  frontier  had  in  many  places 
receded.  The  Indians  had  become  possessed 
of  fire-arms,  in  some  cases  of  the  most  modern 
invention,  and,  with  their  warlike  instincts,  were 
quick  to  learn  their  use,  and  prompt  to  apply  it 
in  action,  and  in  the  absence  of  government 
troops  had  pressed  back  the  advancing  lines  of 
settlements,  harried  the  weaker  hamlets,  killed 
the  scattered  frontiersmen,  outraged  and  mur- 
dered their  women,  and  carried  their  younger 
children  into  captivity. 

5 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

Upon  the  reoccupation  of  the  southern  and 
western  frontier  by  government  troops  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  the  Indians,  who  had  grown 
confident  in  their  own  strength,  were  greatly  ex- 
asperated, and  the  construction  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad  across  the  continent  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  directly  through  their  hunting- 
grounds,  drove  them  almost  to  frenzy.  The 
spring  of  1868  found  them  arrogant,  defiant, 
and  confident,  and  late  in  the  summer  of  that 
year  they  boldly  threw  off  all  concealment,  ab- 
rogated their  treaties,  and  entered  upon  the  war- 
path. I  have  lying  before  me,  as  I  write,  a 
tabulated  statement  of  the  outrages  committed 
by  the  Indians  within  the  Military  Department 
of  the  Missouri  from  June  until  December  of 
that  year,  and  it  shows  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
four  murders  of  white  settlers  and  freighters, 
and  the  capture  of  numerous  women  and  chil- 
dren, the  burning  and  sacking  of  farm-houses, 
ranches,  and  stage-coaches,  and  gives  details  of 
horror  and  outrage  visited  upon  the  women  that 
are  better  imagined  than  described. 

For  at  least  two  years  prior  to  the  time  of  this 
general  outbreak  much  trouble  had  existed  be- 
tween the  Indians  and  the  settlers.  Murders  of 
settlers  by  detached  war  parties  of  Indians,  re- 
prisals by  the  settlers,  and  engagements  between 
the  Indians  and  soldiers,  with  varying  successes 

6 


A  FRONTIER   FIGHT 

and  defeats  on  both  sides,  had  developed  bad 
blood,  and  no  small  amount  of  hatred,  between 
the  whites  and  the  aborigines.  At  this  late  day- 
it  is  useless  to  discuss  the  causes  that  led  to  this 
state  of  affairs;  that  there  were  faults  in  abun- 
dance on  both  sides  there  is  little  or  no  doubt, 
but  taken  in  its  entirety,  it  was  the  advance  of 
civilization  against  barbarism,  with  the  assur- 
ance in  the  end  of  "the  survival  of  the  fittest," 
a  harsh,  cruel,  but  seemingly  inexorable,  law, 
that  has  obtained  since  the  dawn  of  creation. 
My  experience  of  military  life  having  been  gained 
solely  in  our  civil  war,  the  only  fairly  accurate 
knowledge  I  had  of  Indians  had  been  picked  up 
during  a  year's  service  in  the  Department  of  the 
Missouri,  as  I  travelled  through  its  limits  on 
duty  as  inspector,  and  notwithstanding  I  had 
assimilated,  or  tried  to,  all  that  I  had  seen  or 
heard  regarding  them,  my  knowledge  was  most 
meagre.  It  might  have  been  summed  up  under 
three  heads.  First,  that  they  were  shrewd, 
crafty,  treacherous,  and  brave.  Secondly,  that 
they  were  able  warriors  in  that  they  took  no  un- 
necessary risks,  attacked  generally  from  am- 
bush, and  never  in  the  open  field  unless  in  over- 
whelming numbers.  Thirdly,  that  they  were 
savages  in  all  that  the  word  implies,  gave  no 
quarter,  and  defeat  at  their  hands  meant  annihila- 
tion, either  in  the  field,  or  by  torture  at  the  stake. 

7 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

As  soon  as  it  became  evident  that  war  was 
the  only  alternative  on  the  part  of  the  govern- 
ment, I  made  up  my  mind  to  try  for  a  command 
in  the  field.  The  regiment  to  which  I  belonged 
was  serving  in  another  department ;  as  a  major 
in  the  line,  I  was  conspicuously  a  junior.  To 
displace  any  one  of  my  seniors  for  the  purpose 
of  giving  me  a  command  in  the  field  would  have 
been  rank  favoritism,  a  thing  not  to  be  thought 
of  by  the  commanding  general  or  myself.  Still,  I 
could  not  give  up  the  idea  of  an  active  command. 
After  several  days'  cogitation  I  went  to  General 
Sheridan,  told  him  that  I  thought  I  could  do  bet- 
ter service  both  for  him  and  the  government  in 
the  coming  campaign  if  I  had  an  active  command 
than  I  could  possibly  render  as  a  staff-officer, 
that  I  did  not  see  how  he  could  provide  me  with 
a  command  of  any  kind  under  the  existing  con- 
dition of  affairs,  but  I  wished  that,  in  case  op- 
portunity offered,  he  would  kindly  consider  my 
request  for  the  first  field  vacancy. 

General  Sheridan  listened  quietly  to  what  I 
had  to  say,  and  then  replied  in  substance  as  fol- 
lows :  "  I  have  seen  for  some  time  what  has  been 
on  your  mind,  and  if  you  were  senior  to  certain 
of  the  officers  about  to  take  the  field,  I  would  find 
other  duty  for  them  and  give  you  a  command, 
but  as  you  are  junior  to  them,  I  cannot  consist- 
ently do  so.    There  will  be,  however,  an  oppor- 

8 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

tunity  for  you  in  a  small  way,  if  you  care  to  take 
it.  It  is  a  command  that  is  not  at  all  commen- 
surate with  your  rank  or  reputation,  but  it  is  all 
I  have.  Understand,  if  you  decline  it,  I  shall 
have  no  feeling  whatever  in  the  matter."  "  What 
is  it?"  was  my  query.  "  I  have  determined  to  or- 
ganize a  scouting  party  of  fifty  men  from  among 
the  frontiersmen  living  here  on  the  border.  There 
is  no  law  that  will  permit  me  to  enlist  them,  and 
I  can  only  employ  them  as  scouts  through  the 
quartermaster's  department.  I  will  offer  them 
a  dollar  a  day,  and  thirty-five  cents  a  day  for  the 
use  of  their  horses,  which  will,  I  think,  bring 
good  material.  Of  course  the  government  will 
equip  them,  and  they  will  draw  soldiers'  rations. 
If  you  care  for  the  command,  you  can  have  it, 
and  I  will  give  you  Lieutenant  Fred  Beecher,  of 
the  Third  Infantry,  for  your  second  in  command." 
"  Thank  you,  general,"  was  my  response,  "  and 
I  could  not  ask  a  better  lieutenant  than  Beecher. 
I  accept  the  command  with  pleasure."  "  I  thought 
you  would,  and  yet  I  hesitated  to  offer  it.  Un- 
derstand, if  I  had  anything  better,  you  should 
have  it."  "  I  am  glad  to  get  this,"  was  my  reply. 
An  hour  later  I  was  handed  the  following  order : 

Headquarters  Department  of  the  Missouri, 

Fort  Harker,  August  24,  1868. 
Brevet  Colonel  George  A.Forsyth,  A.  A.  Inspector-General, 
Department  of  the  Missouri. 

COLONEL, — The  general  commanding  directs  that  you, 
9 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

without  delay,  employ  fifty  (50)  first-class  hardy  frontiers- 
men, to  be  used  as  scouts  against  the  hostile  Indians,  to  be 
commanded  by  yourself,  with  Lieutenant  Beecher,  Third 
Infantry,  as  your  subordinate.  You  can  enter  into  such 
articles  of  agreement  with  these  men  as  will  compel  obedi- 
ence. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

(Sgd.)    J.  Schuyler  Crosby, 
A.  D.  C.  &  A.  A.  Adjutant-General. 

In  the  year  I  write  of  there  was  little  trouble 
in  obtaining  capable  and  competent  men  for 
my  new  command.  Hundreds  of  men  who  had 
served  through  the  bitter  civil  strife  of  1 86 1  to 
1865,  either  for  or  against  the  government,  had 
nocked  to  the  frontier,  and  were  willing,  and  even 
anxious,  to  assist  in  punishing  the  Indians,  while 
many  a  frontiersman  was  only  too  glad  to  have 
an  opportunity  to  settle  an  old  score  against  the 
savages.  In  two  days  I  had  enrolled  thirty  men 
at  Fort  Harker,  and  marching  from  there  to  Fort 
Hayes,  sixty  miles  westward,  I  completed  my 
complement  in  two  days  more,  and  on  the  20th 
of  August,  five  days  from  the  time  I  had  received 
the  order,  we  took  the  field. 

The  only  difficulty  I  experienced  was  in  mount- 
ing my  men,  some  of  whom  had  no  horses,  and 
were  too  poor  to  buy  them ;  but  this  trouble  was 
obviated  by  certain  frontiersmen,  notably  Dick 
Parr  (an  interpreter  and  scout  at  General  Sheri- 
dan's headquarters),  who  furnished  the  men  sev- 

10 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

eral  of  his  own  horses,  and  persuaded  other 
frontiersmen  to  do  the  same  thing,  they  agreeing 
to  take  the  thirty-five  cents  a  day  (which  I  was 
authorized  to  offer,  through  the  quartermaster's 
department  of  the  army)  for  their  use,  and  in 
case  of  their  loss  on  the  march,  or  in  action,  they 
were  to  be  paid  their  full  value. 

Our  equipment  was  simple :  A  blanket  apiece, 
saddle  and  bridle,  a  lariat  and  picket-pin,  a  can- 
teen, a  haversack,  butcher-knife,  tin  plate  and 
tin  cup.  A  Spencer  repeating  rifle  (carrying  six 
shots  in  the  magazine,  besides  the  one  in  the 
barrel),  a  Colt's  revolver,  army  size,  and  140 
rounds  of  rifle  and  30  rounds  of  revolver  ammu- 
nition per  man — this  carried  on  the  person.  In 
addition,  we  had  a  pack-train  of  four  mules,  car- 
rying camp-kettles  and  picks  and  shovels,  in 
case  it  became  necessary  to  dig  for  water,  togeth- 
er with  4000  extra  rounds  of  ammunition,  some 
medical  supplies,  and  extra  rations  of  salt  and 
coffee.  Each  man,  officers  included,  carried  seven 
days' cooked  rations  in  his  haversack. 

It  was  no  ordinary  command,  this  company 
of  fifty  scouts,  and  I  have  little  doubt  but  that 
each  and  every  trooper,  both  young  and  old,  had 
a  history  worth  hearing,  if  he  had  cared  to  tell  it. 

As  of  late  years  there  has  been  some  discussion 
as  to  who  were  the  men  who  were  with  me  in  the 
fight  on  the  Arickaree  Fork  of  the  Republican 
11 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

River,  I  herewith  append  the  list,  as  copied  from 
the  original  roll.  All  but  four  of  these  men  were 
native  Americans,  and  a  number  of  them  college 
graduates,  and  I  never  saw  but  one  company  of 
enlisted  men  who  I  thought  exceeded  them  in 
general  intelligence:  First  Lieutenant  Fred.  H. 
Beecher,  Third  Infantry,  U.S.  Army ;  Acting  As- 
sistant Surgeon  J.  H.  Mooers,  Medical  Depart- 
ment, U.  S.  A.;  Abner  T.  Grover,  chief  scout; 
Wm.  H.  H.  McCall,  first  sergeant ;  W.  Armstrong, 
Thos.  Alderdice,  Martin  Burke,  Wallace  Bennett, 
G.  W.  Chalmers,  G.  B.  Clarke,  John  Donovan, 
Bernard  Day,  Alfred  Dupont,  A.  J.  Entler,  Louis 
Farley,  Hudson  Farley,  Richard  Gantt,  George 
Green,  John  Haley,  John  Hurst,  Frank  Har- 
rington, J.  H.  Ketterer,  John  Lyden,  M.  R.  Lane, 
Joseph  Lane,  C.  B.  Nichols,  George  Oakes,  M. 
R.  Mapes,  Thomas  Murphy,  Howard  Morton, 
H.  T.  McGrath,  Thomas  O'Donnell,  C.  C.  Pi- 
att, A.  J.  Pliley,  William  Reilly,  Thomas  Rana- 
han,  Chalmers  Smith,  J.  S.  Still  well,  S.  Schles- 
inger,  Edward  Simpson,  William  Stewart,  H.  H. 
Tucker,  Isaac  Thayer,  Pierre  Truedeau,  Fletch- 
er Violett,  William  Wilson,  C.  B.  Whitney,  John 
Wilson,  Eli  Ziegler,  Louis  McLaughlin,  Harry 
Davenport,  T.  K.  Davis. 

My  lieutenant,  Fred.  H.  Beecher,  of  the  Third 
U.  S.  Infantry,  was  a  most  lovable  character. 
He  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Beecher, 

12 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

brother   of    Henry  Ward    Beecher,   the    distin- 
guished divine.* 

My  acquaintance  with  him  had  begun  in  a  pe- 
culiar manner,  and  now  that  so  many  years  have 
intervened  since  his  death,  I  think  I  can  venture 
to  put  upon  paper  a  matter  that  thoroughly  ex- 
hibits the  manly  character  he  was,  and  that  may 
possibly  help  some  other  youngster  to  call  a  halt 
when  he  first  realizes  that  his  appetite  for  liquor 
is  getting  the  better  of  him.  I  had  heard  much 
of  Lieutenant  Beecher  as  one  of  the  most  promis- 
ing young  officers  in  the  army,  and  had  conceived 
a  strong  liking  for  the  man,  but  had  never  yet 
met  him.  One  day,  early  in  the  spring  of 
1868,  when  accidentally  present  at  a  consulta- 
tion where  General  Sheridan  was  determining 
a  plan  of  action,  his  name  was  mentioned  as 
a  man  likely  to  exactly  fill  the  requirements 
of  a  certain  delicate  mission  to  one  of  the  dis- 
affected tribes,  and  the  order  detailing  him  was 
about  to  be  made  when  an  elderly  officer  spoke 
up  and  said  that  within  a  few  months  Lieutenant 

*  He  served  through  the  civil  war  with  great  gallantry, 
and  was  lamed  for  life  with  a  bullet  through  his  knee  at 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  Energetic,  active,  reliable,  brave, 
and  modest,  with  a  love  of  hunting  and  a  natural  taste 
for  plainscraft,  he  was  a  splendid  specimen  of  a  thorough- 
bred American,  and  a  most  valuable  man  in  any  position 
requiring  coolness,  courage,  and  tact,  and  especially  so 
for  the  campaign  we  were  about  entering  upon. 

13 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

Beecher  had  become  habituated  to  a  daily  use 
of  liquor  that,  in  his  judgment,  might  possibly 
render  such  a  detail,  under  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances governing  the  case,  a  little  hazardous. 
This  statement  resulted  in  the  order  for  the  de- 
tail being  temporarily  suspended.  I  saw  that 
General  Sheridan  looked  surprised  and  disap- 
pointed, and  I  certainly  felt  so  myself.  After 
thinking  the  matter  over  for  a  few  hours,  I  sat 
down  and  wrote  Lieutenant  Beecher  a  letter.  I 
stated  that,  as  I  only  knew  him  by  reputation, 
he  might,  and  probably  would,  be  surprised  at 
the  tenor  of  my  communication,  but  that  hav- 
ing conceived  a  strong  liking  for  him,  from  what 
I  knew  of  his  record,  I  wished  that  he  would  look 
upon  my  letter  as  written  solely  in  his  own  best 
interest,  and  that  I  was  penning  it  without  a 
thought  of  official  position  in  any  way.  I  then 
tersely  told  him  how  he  had  lost  an  opportunity 
for  possible  distinction  owing  to  the  fact  that  it 
was  feared  that  he  had  contracted  too  great  a 
fondness  for  liquor.  I  gave  him  no  names,  but 
assured  him  that  the  statement  regarding  his 
newly  formed  habit  came  from  an  officer  of  years 
and  rank,  who  could  have  had  no  possible  per- 
sonal feeling  in  the  matter,  and  earnestly  adjured 
him  to  give  it  up,  as  it  was  unquestionably  in- 
juring his  reputation.  In  closing,  I  admitted 
that  I  had  lain  myself  open  to  criticism  and  pos- 

14 


A   FRONTIER    FIGHT 

sible  animadversion  upon  his  part,  but  that  I 
had  done  by  him  as  I  would  that  any  one  in  a 
similar  position  would  have  done  by  a  younger 
brother  of  my  own  under  the  same  circum- 
stances, and  I  begged  to  be  allowed  to  subscribe 
myself,  though  personally  unknown  to  him,  his 
sincere  friend  and  well-wisher.  It  was  some 
days  before  I  received  an  answer,  and  I  began 
to  doubt  somewhat  the  wisdom  of  my  course. 
When  the  answer  finally  came,  however,  I  doubt- 
ed no  longer.  Of  all  the  manly  letters !  I  wish 
I  could  recall  it  word  for  word,  but  I  can  only 
give  from  memory  the  concluding  sentence: 
"From  to-day  John  Barleycorn  and  I  part  com- 
pany forever."  It  was  the  truth;  never  again 
to  the  day  of  his  death  did  Fred  Beecher  put  a 
glass  of  whiskey  to  his  lips.  I  took  the  letter  to 
General  Sheridan,  who  was  greatly  pleased,  both 
with  Beecher's  letter  and  my  action,  and  the  sus- 
pended detail  was  promptly  made.  When  I  first 
met  him,  a  few  months  later,  at  Fort  Wallace, 
some  weeks  prior  to  the  Indian  outbreak,  I  need 
scarcely  say  we  met  as  friends,  and  the  better 
I  grew  to  know  him  the  more  I  admired  and  liked 
him.  Of  the  younger  men  I  knew,  none  would 
have  been  more  acceptable  to  me  as  a  second  in 
command. 

My  guide  was  Sharp  Grover,  a  plainsman  of 
somewhere  between  forty  and  fifty  years  of  age, 

15 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

who  had  passed  his  life  in  hunting  and  trapping 
along  the  northwestern  border.  About  five  feet 
ten  inches  in  height,  rather  sparely  built,  little 
given  to  conversation,  and  apt  to  be  somewhat 
moody  at  times,  and,  as  I  grew  to  know  him  bet- 
ter, I  judged  from  his  manner  and  his  swarthy 
complexion  that  he  had  in  his  blood  a  dash  of 
the  French  voyageur,  probably  from  among  his 
mother's  people.  He  was  well  posted  in  Indian 
craft,  spoke  the  dialect  of  the  Sioux,  and  knew 
many  of  their  tribe  personally.  A  keen  eye,  a 
good  shot,  and  a  cool  head  made  him  a  valuable 
man.  He  had  just  recovered  from  a  wound  in 
the  back,  received  while  leaving  Turkey  Legs 
Camp,  on  the  Solomon  River,  where  he  and  Mr. 
William  Comstock  had  been  sent  to  ascertain  the 
truth  of  the  rumor  that  the  Sioux  were  about  to 
go  upon  the  war-path.  The  Indians  professed 
friendship,  but  at  the  same  time  insisted  upon 
Comstock  and  Grover  leaving  the  camp.  Seven 
Indians  went  with  them,  ostensibly  friendly,  but, 
while  conversing  with  them,  fell  slightly  to  the 
rear  on  the  trail  and  suddenly  opened  fire  upon 
them,  shooting  them  both  in  the  back.  Comstock 
was  killed  instantly,  but  Grover,  though  badly 
wounded,  threw  himself  on  the  ground,  and  from 
behind  the  dead  body  of  his  friend  opened  on  them 
with  his  repeating  rifle,  drove  them  back,  and  as 
it  was  late  in  the  day,  kept  them  off  until  dark, 

16 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

and  finally  escaped  during  the  night.  Corn- 
stock,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  regarded  as 
the  most  capable  and  reliable  scout  in  the  gov- 
ernment service.  He,  Dick  Parr,  Sharp  Grover, 
and  William  Cody  (Buffalo  Bill)  were,  at  the 
time  I  write  of,  1868,  a  strong  quartet  of  able 
and  competent  plainsmen,  bred  to  their  work 
by  years  of  service,  and  men  to  be  relied  upon 
under  all  circumstances.  As  my  scouts  were 
to  serve  as  soldiers,  I  organized  the  command 
as  a  troop  of  cavalry.  My  first  sergeant  was  a 
man  of  about  thirty  years  of  age,  who  had  served 
throughout  the  civil  war  with  more  than  ordinary 
distinction.  He  was  General  William  H.  H. 
McCall,  had  been  colonel  of  a  Pennsylvania 
regiment,  and  had  been  brevetted  a  brigadier- 
general  for  his  brilliant  services  at  the  time  Gen- 
eral J.  B.  Gordon,  of  the  Confederate  forces,  early 
one  morning  in  the  spring  of  1865,  during  the 
siege  of  Petersburg,  assaulted  and  carried  Fort 
Stedman.  Scarcely  had  the  gallant  Confed- 
erate gained  the  works,  when  McCall  picked 
up  his  regiment,  which  lay  along  the  line  of  in- 
vestment, and  dashed  into  the  fort,  and  after  a 
desperate  struggle,  in  which  great  bravery  was 
shown  on  both  sides,  succeeded  in  driving  out 
the  enemy  and  capturing  a  number  of  prisoners, 
reoccupying  the  works  with  our  forces.  Mc- 
Call, like  many  another  good  man  of  either  army, 
b  17 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

had  drifted  West  since  the  close  of  the  war,  been 
unsuccessful,  became  a  bit  dissipated,  and  just 
at  this  period  was  ready  and  willing  to  take  the 
chances  in  anything  that  offered  an  opportunity 
for  advancement  or  distinction.  Martin  Burke, 
one  of  the  privates,  an  Irishman,  had  served  in 
the  English  army  in  India  with  the  Sixty-fourth 
of  the  line  (Second  Staffordshire),  and  also  the 
Thirty-first,  from  which  he  was  invalided  owing 
to  sunstroke,  sent  home  to  England  and  pen- 
sioned, came  to  America  in  1861,  enlisted  in  a 
New  York  volunteer  regiment,  served  through 
the  civil  war,  was  transferred  to  the  Third  United 
States  Cavalry,  and  when  I  met  and  enrolled 
him  had  just  been  honorably  discharged,  with 
the  grade  of  corporal.  He  was  a  splendid  soldier, 
and  proved  himself  a  man  among  men  in  the 
darkest  hours  we  saw  during  our  short  campaign, 
and  throughout  the  civil  war.  Of  the  others, 
to  the  best  of  my  recollection,  Bennett,  Clarke, 
Donovan,  Dupont,  Green,  Haley,  Hurst,  Har- 
rington, Ketterer,  Joe  Lane,  Oakes,  Murphy, 
Piatt,  Pliley,  Chalmers  Smith,  Simpson,  Stew- 
art, Thayer,  Whitney,  Ziegler,  McLaughlin, 
and  Davenport  had  served  in  either  the  regular 
army  or  the  United  States  or  Confederate  volun- 
teers. The  two  best  shots  of  our  troop  were  Louis 
Farley  and  his  young  son,  Hudson  Farley,  both 
frontiersmen,  and,  I  think,  farmers  by  occupa- 

18 


A    FRONTIER    FIGHT 

tion,  men  of  great  coolness  and  unsurpassed 
bravery.  Taken  all  in  all,  it  was  rather  a  re- 
markable aggregation,  considering  how  hur- 
riedly it  was  picked  up  and  thrown  forward  in- 
stantly into  the  field.  For  the  first  few  days 
there  was  some  friction,  naturally  enough ;  then 
discipline  told,  and  the  men  got  down  to  their 
work,  and  there  was  no  further  trouble.  Early 
on  the  morning  of  the  29th  of  August,  1868,  I 
received  the  following  at  the  hands  of  the 
Acting  Adjutant- General,  Colonel  J.  Schuyler 
Crosby : 

Fort  Hays,  Kansas,  August  29, 1868. 

Brevet  Colonel  George  A.  Forsyth,  Commanding  Detach- 
ment of  Scouts  E.1 
I  would  suggest  that  you  move  across  the  head-waters 
of  Solomon  (river)  to  Beaver  Creek,  thence  down  that  creek 
to  Fort  Wallace.  On  arrival  at  Wallace  report  to  me  by- 
telegraph  at  this  place. 

Yours  truly, 

P.  H.  Sheridan,  Major-General. 

Shaking  hands  with  the  genial  colonel,  who 
wished  me  all  sorts  of  good  luck,  I  sprang  into 
the  saddle  with  a  light  heart,  and  no  little  elation, 
at  the  thought  of  having  a  field  command  and  a 
roving  commission — a  state  of  affairs  that  any 
true  cavalry  man  can  thoroughly  appreciate.  In 
less  than  ten  hours'  time  we  were  practically  be- 
yond civilization  and  well  into  the  Indian  coun- 
try.    Looking  back,  at  this  late  day,  after  more 

19 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

than  twenty-five  years  have  passed  since  the 
morning  we  left  Fort  Hays  for  the  head-waters 
of  the  Solomon  River,  I  find  it  almost  impossible 
not  to  rhapsodize  somewhat  over  the  freedom 
of  the  life  we  led :  the  fresh  air  of  the  plains,  the 
clearness  of  the  atmosphere,  the  herds  of  buf- 
falo, which  scarcely  raised  their  heads  from  their 
feeding-grounds  as  we  passed,  the  bands  of  an- 
telope that  circled  around  us,  the  chirping  bark 
of  the  prairie-dogs  as  they  plunged  headlong 
into  their  holes  as  we  approached,  the  shout  that 
startled  the  sneaking  gray  wolf  into  a  run,  the 
laugh  that  followed  the  antics  of  our  pack-mules, 
the  half  haze,  half  vapory  mist  that  marked  the 
line  of  the  Smoky  Hill  River,  and,  above  all,  the 
feeling  that  civilization  was  behind  us,  and  the 
fascination  that  the  danger  of  campaigning  in 
an  enemy's  country  ever  holds  for  a  soldier  was 
before  us. 

Crossing  the  Saline  River  and  south  fork  of 
the  Solomon,  we  struck  Beaver  Creek  where  Short 
Nose  Creek  empties  into  it.  Here  the  Indians 
had  evidently  held  a  great  sun-dance,  where 
probably  they  had  finally  decided  to  go  to  war 
with  the  whites.  Moving  thence  up  Beaver 
Creek,  beyond  timber-line,  I  struck  trail  directly 
for  Fort  Wallace,  reaching  there  the  night  of 
September  5th,  not  having  seen  an  Indian  dur- 
ing the  march.  Here  I  found  a  messenger  from 
20 


A   FRONTIER    FIGHT 

the  governor  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  urging  me 
to  move  to  the  protection  of  some  settlers  in  Bison 
Basin.  This  I  decided  to  do,  with  the  co-opera- 
tion of  Colonel  Bankhead,  the  commanding  of- 
ficer at  Wallace,  and  so  telegraphed  the  com- 
manding general  of  the  department;  but  as  the 
command  was  about  starting  word  was  received 
from  the  little  town  of  Sheridan,  thirteen  miles 
east  from  Wallace,  and  then  at  the  end  of  the 
Kansas  Pacific  Railroad,  that  the  Indians  had 
attacked  a  freighter's  train  near  there,  killed 
two  of  the  teamsters,  and  captured  some  of  their 
teams.  Leaving  two  of  my  command  sick  in 
hospital  at  Wallace,  I  started  at  once  for  the 
scene  of  action.  On  my  arrival  there  I  carefully 
examined  the  ground  in  the  vicinity,  and  soon 
reached  the  conclusion  that  the  attack  had  been 
made  by  a  war  party  of  not  more  than  twenty 
or  twenty-five  Indians — this  from  the  fact  that 
there  were  not  more  than  thirty  or  thirty-five 
different-sized  pony  tracks  to  be  seen;  and  as 
the  ground  near  where  the  wagon  train  had  been 
fired  upon  was  slightly  marshy,  the  impress  of 
the  hoofs  of  the  horses  of  their  assailants  was 
very  distinct  and  easily  compared,  and  the  result 
was  as  I  have  stated.  Little  as  I  then  knew,  in 
comparison  with  what  I  have  since  learned,  of 
Indian  habits,  I  knew  that  it  was  customary  for 
a  war  party  to  drive  with  them  a  few  extra  horses, 
21 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

and  I  therefore  made  up  my  mind  that  while  this 
party  was  probably  not  less  than  twenty,  it  did 
not  exceed  twenty-five  men.  This  being  the 
case,  I  assumed  that  the  attack  had  been  made 
by  a  scouting  party,  and  not  improbably  by  a 
war  party  who  had  cut  my  trail  and  followed  it 
towards  Fort  Wallace,  and  stumbling  upon  this 
freight  train,  had  at  an  opportune  moment  at- 
tempted its  capture,  but  finding  that  the  drivers 
were  armed,  and  plucky  enough  to  defend  them- 
selves, concluded  not  to  risk  a  heavy  loss,  and 
accordingly  drew  off,  after  killing  and  scalping 
two  poor  teamsters,  who  had  incautiously  fallen 
behind  the  train  a  few  moments  before  the  attack 
was  made.  We  followed  the  trail  until  dark, 
and  camped  upon  it.  Resuming  our  march  at 
early  dawn,  we  again  took  the  trail,  but  within 
two  hours  it  began  to  become  less  and  less  dis- 
tinct; every  few  hundred  yards  it  was  a  little 
less  clearly  apparent,  and  I  realized  that  the  In- 
dians were  dropping  out  here  and  there,  one  by 
one,  wherever  the  ground  hardened  and  their  in- 
dividual trail  could  not  be  easily  followed.  Rid- 
ing together  fifty  yards  ahead,  Beecher  and  Gro- 
ver  kept  their  eyes  fixed  on  the  fast-diminishing 
trail;  and  knowing  that  either  man  was  my  su^ 
perior  in  this  especial  line  of  plainscraft,  I  quietly 
followed  on  at  the  head  of  the  command,  content 
to  await  developments.     Within  an  hour  they 

22 


A    FRONTIER   FIGHT 

halted,  and  as  the  command  overtook  them 
Beecher  sententiously  remarked : 

"Disappeared!" 

Halting  and  dismounting  the  command,  we 
held  a  consultation,  in  which  Grover,  Beecher, 
McCall,  and  I  took  part. 

On  one  point  we  were  all  agreed,  and  that  was 
that  the  Indians  had  seen  us,  knew  they  were  be- 
ing followed,  and  had  scattered  on  the  trail,  and 
it  was  reasonable  to  suppose  that  they  would  re- 
join their  main  body  sooner  or  later.  One  thing 
was  certain  :  they  were  not  strong  enough  to 
fight  us.  The  question  now  was,  would  they 
willingly  give  us  a  trail  to  their  main  body?  Evi- 
dently not,  as  their  object  was  to  throw  us  off  the 
scent.  If  this  conclusion  was  correct,  was  it  not 
probable  that  if  we  could  pick  up  their  trail  and 
find  the  rendezvous  of  the  main  body,  we  could 
successfully  give  them  battle?  Beecher  said  lit- 
tle, and  refused  to  express  an  opinion.  Grover 
and  McCall  were  inclined  to  think  that  before 
we  could  overtake  the  war  party  it  was  more  than 
probable  that  they  would  be  able  to  mass  several 
of  the  tribes  against  us,  as  the  general  trend  of 
their  trail  was  north,  towards  the  Republican 
River.  Now,  I  had  already  determined  in  my 
own  mind  that  it  was  in  that  section  of  country 
we  would  eventually  find  the  Sioux  and  Northern 
Cheyenne,  who  had  recently  done  so  much  dam- 
23 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

age  to  the  settlers  near  Bison  Basin,  and  I  there- 
fore cut  short  the  discussion  by  saying  that  I 
had  determined  to  find  and  attack  the  Indians, 
no  matter  what  the  odds  might  be  against  us. 
If  we  could  not  defeat  them,  we  would  show  them 
that  the  government  did  not  propose  that  they 
should  escape  unpunished  for  want  of  energy  in 
their  pursuit.  That  I  thought,  with  fifty-one 
men,  even  if  we  could  not  defeat  them,  they 
could  not  annihilate  us.  Furthermore,  it  was 
expected  that  the  command  would  fight  the  In- 
dians, and  I  meant  it  should  do  so.  Pushing  on 
to  Short  Nose  Creek,  and  seeking  for  trails  in 
every  direction,  on  the  fifth  day  out  from  Wallace, 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  Republican  River,  we 
stumbled  upon  an  abandoned  "wickie-up,"  a 
shelter  formed  by  pressing  over  young  willows, 
or  alders,  growing  about  three  feet  apart,  inter- 
lacing the  tops  of  their  branches,  and  covering 
the  top  with  hides  or  long  swamp-grass.  It  had 
evidently  been  occupied  by  two  dismounted  In- 
dians the  preceding  night,  was  carefully  con- 
cealed in  the  swamp- willows,  and  an  attempt  of 
one  of  our  party  to  push  through  the  willow 
copse  on  the  river-bank  to  get  a  drink  for  his 
horse  discovered  it.  We  took  up  the  trail  here, 
and  followed  it  a  couple  of  miles,  and  were  re- 
warded by  finding  a  place  where  three  mounted 
Indians  had  encamped  within  twenty-four  hours ; 
24 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

and  following  their  trail,  we  ran  into  that  of  a 
small  war  party,  possibly  some  of  the  Indians 
who  had  given  us  the  slip  a  few  days  since. 
From  this  on  the  trail  was  easily  followed.     It 
led  up  to  the  forks  of  the  Republican  River,  where 
it  crossed  to  the  north  side  of  the  stream,  and 
grew  steadily  larger  as  various  small  trails  from 
the  north  and  south  entered  it,  until  finally  it 
was  a  broad  beaten  road  along  which  had  been 
driven  horses,  cattle,  and  travois  carrying  heavy 
loads  of  Indian  tent-poles  that  had  worn  great 
ruts  into  the  earth,  showing  that  all  the  para- 
phernalia of  one  or  more  large  Indian  villages 
had  passed  that  way.     Coming  to  what  we  then 
believed  to  be  Delaware  Creek,  but  which  we 
knew  later  to  be  the  Arickaree  fork  of  the  Re- 
publican River,  we  found  the  trail  leading  up  it 
along  the  south  bank  of  the  stream.     Encamp- 
ing at  nightfall,  we  again  took  up  the  march  the 
next  morning,  and  pushed  steadily  ahead.     So 
far  we  had  not  seen  an  Indian,  but  the  trail  grew 
steadily  broader  until  it  was  a  well-beaten  road, 
and  some  of  the  men  of  the  command  ventured 
to  approach  me  with  a  protest.     They  said  that  if 
we  followed  the  Indians  to  their  villages  we  would 
be  met  with  overwhelming  numbers,  and  stood 
no  show  whatever  for  our  lives.     I  listened  to 
them  patiently,  told  them  that  they  were  assum- 
ing no  risk  that  I  was  not  taking  myself,  that 
25 


A   FRONTIER    FIGHT 

they  had  enrolled  to  fight  Indians,  and  that,  in 
my  opinion,  there  was  less  danger  to  advance 
and  attack  than  there  would  be  now  to  attempt 
to  return.  This  ended  the  discussion,  and  ap- 
parently satisfied  that  they  had  entered  a  protest, 
they  fell  back  into  the  little  column.  The  fact 
that  probably  half,  or  more,  of  my  men  had  served 
as  soldiers  was,  at  this  particular  juncture,  of 
great  moment.  These  men  recognized  the  value 
of  implicit  obedience  without  discussion,  a  truth 
that  emphasizes  the  difference  between  an  army 
and  a  mob.  Each  hour  we  progressed  estab- 
lished the  probability  that  we  were  following  close 
on  the  heels  of  a  large  body  of  Indians,  who  could 
not  be  far  ahead  of  us  on  the  well-beaten  trail. 
Here  and  there  they  dropped  tent-poles,  pieces  of 
half -dried  buffalo  meat,  now  and  then  little  articles 
of  clothing,  an  old  moccasin,  a  worn-out  basket, 
and  various  odds  and  ends  that  attested  their 
rapid  flight ;  furthermore,  no  game  had  been  seen 
for  two  days,  an  indication  that  it  had  been 
hunted  away,  and  I  now  moved  slowly  and  cau- 
tiously, fearing  an  ambush  or  a  sudden  attack. 

In  the  afternoon  comparatively  fresh  horse  ma- 
nure was  seen  on  the  trail,  but  not  an  Indian  had 
been  seen  by  a  man  of  the  command.  That  they 
had  seen  us,  I  felt  convinced,  and  such  I  think  was 
the  general  opinion  of  all  the  men.  To  say  that 
I  was  altogether  as  satisfied  with  the  appear- 
26 


A   FRONTIER    FIGHT 

ance  of  things  as  I  assumed  to  be,  would  not  be 
the  truth.  We  were  nearly  out  of  supplies,  save 
salt  and  coffee;  the  Indians  were  an  unknown 
quantity,  and,  from  indications,  were  likely  to 
prove  rather  a  larger  unknown  quantity  than  I 
had  expected  to  meet ;  but  I  felt  the  necessity  of 
fighting  them,  and  decided  to  do  so,  even  though 
I  doubted  my  force  to  be  strong  enough  to  do  more 
than  partially  cripple  them  for  the  time  being. 

It  was  about  four  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  1 6th  of  September  that,  as  we  followed  the 
sinuosities  of  the  trail,  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  south  bank  of  the  stream,  as  it  wound  in  and 
out  among  wild-plum  thickets,  alder  bushes,  and 
swamp- willows,  a  bend  in  the  river,  as  we  passed 
through  a  little  gorge,  opened  out  upon  a  small 
well-grassed  valley  of  perhaps  two  miles  in  length 
and  nearly  the  same  in  width.  From  our  side 
of  the  water  the  land  sloped  slowly  down  to  the 
stream  from  the  rolling  plain  on  the  south,  while 
upon  the  other  side  it  receded  from  the  water  at 
almost  a  dead  level  for  nearly  three-quarters  of  a 
mile,  and  then  terminated  in  a  line  of  low  hills 
or  bluffs,  varying  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  in 
height,  which  shut  out  the  view  of  the  plains 
from  that  direction. 

As  I  have  already  said,  we  were  nearly  out  of 
supplies,  save  a  little  salt  and  coffee,  and  my 
animals  had  to  subsist  upon  such  grazing  as 
27 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

we  could  find.  As  the  grass  at  this  spot  was  good 
upon  each  side  of  the  stream,  I  decided  to  go  into 
camp,  graze  my  horses,  refit  my  command  as 
well  as  I  could,  and  take  the  trail  again  early  in 
the  morning,  feeling  convinced  that  before  the 
close  of  another  day  we  would  meet  Indians. 
Dismounting  about  the  middle  of  the  valley,  we 
encamped  on  the  bank  of  the  stream  opposite 
the  centre  of  a  small  island,  which  had  been 
formed  in  the  sand  in  the  middle  of  the  bed  of 
the  stream  owing  to  a  gravelly  rift  at  its  head, 
at  which  point  the  water  divided  and  gently  rip- 
pled along  each  side  until  it  again  united  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below.  It  made  a 
pretty  break  in  the  landscape,  lying  out  in  the 
bed  of  the  main  stream,  perhaps  seventy  yards 
away  from  the  river-bank  on  either  side.  All,  or 
nearly  all,  of  these  western  and  southwestern 
streams  are  peculiar  in  one  thing.  In  the  spring 
and  early  summer,  when  the  snows  melt  in  the 
hills  and  mountains,  they  are  deep,  wide,  and  even 
majestic  rivers.  Late  in  the  summer  they  dwindle 
to  almost  the  merest  thread  of  water.  This 
stream  formed  no  exception  to  the  rule,  and  the 
little  island  in  the  centre  of  its  bed  was  fully  sev- 
enty yards  from  the  bank  on  either  side.  It  was 
raised  about  a  foot  above  the  water  at  its  head, 
while  on  either  side  of  it  was  flowing  a  stream 
of,  say,  fifteen  feet  in  width,  and  with  an  average 
28 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

depth  of  less  than  five  inches,  that  came  together 
at  the  foot  of  the  island,  which  here  sloped  down 
to  the  level  of  the  bed  of  the  main  stream.  Long 
sage-grass  grew  on  its  head,  and  a  thicket  of  alder 
and  willows  shot  up  four  or  five  feet  in  height 
about  the  centre,  while  just  at  its  foot  stood  a 
young  cottonwood-tree  of  about  twenty  feet  in 
height.* 

In  western  Kansas  and  Colorado,  while  the  Sep- 
tember days  are  generally  hot,  the  nights  are  at 

*  This  tree  afterwards  came  into  use  for  my  especial  ben- 
efit in  a  peculiar  way.  Assistant  Surgeon  J.  A.  Fitzgerald, 
who  came  out  with  Colonel  L.  H.  Carpenter's  command, 
had  it  cut  down  and,  stripping  off  the  bark,  lined  a  sec- 
tion of  it  with  cotton  and  placed  my  shattered  leg  in  it,  and 
in  that  way  I  rode  in  an  ambulance  over  a  hundred  miles  to 
Fort  Wallace.  Here  we  met  Surgeon  Morris  J.  Asch  of 
the  army,  and  it  was  owing  to  the  unremitting  care  and 
splendid  surgical  ability  of  these  two  officers  that  I  am  now 
alive.  Doctor  Fitzgera  d  has  joined  the  silent  majority,  but 
Dr.  Asch  (who  resigned  from  the  army  in  1870)  is  still  a 
practising  physician  in  the  city  of  New  York.  I  wish  here 
to  put  upon  record  my  unqualified  admiration  of  the  medical 
department  of  the  United  States  Army.  The  ability,  train- 
ing, and  devotion  to  duty  of  its  officers  are  worthy  of  all 
praise.  Its  post  hospitals  are  models,  and  its  care  of  the 
sick  and  wounded  of  the  army,  whenever  it  is  able  to  reach 
the  front,  is  all  that  could  be  desired.  A  number  of  years 
ago,  while  in  Europe,  I  took  occasion  to  compare  the  medical 
appliances  of  foreign  garrisons  with  our  own,  and  ours  were 
greatly  superior  in  every  respect.  It  is  to  the  credit  of  our 
government  that  it  never  spares  money  for  medical  appli- 
ances, supplies,  and  hospitals,  but  freely  gives  with  a  lavish 
hand  where  the  welfare  of  its  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  is 
concerned. 

29 


A    FRONTIER    FIGHT 

times  decidedly  cool — in  fact,  cold  would  not  be 
an  exaggeration  of  the  truth — and  in  my  wakeful 
hours  of  this  September  night,  as  I  paced  the 
ground  to  and  fro  along  the  river-bank  in  front 
of  the  line  of  my  sleeping  men,  I  felt  that  the  com- 
ing winter's  campaign  in  the  Indian  country 
would  result  in  much  hardship  outside  of  actual 
fighting.  I  had  seen  personally  to  the  posting 
of  our  sentries,  and  had  given  especial  instruc- 
tions not  only  to  hobble  the  horses,  but  directed 
that  every  scout  should  be  especially  careful  to 
see  that  his  horse's  lariat  was  perfectly  knotted; 
and  further  than  that,  before  lying  down  to  sleep, 
he  was  to  inspect  his  picket-pin,  and  see  that  it 
was  firmly  driven  into  the  ground.  In  case  of 
an  attack,  each  man  was  to  seize  his  horse's 
lariat  as  soon  as  he  grasped  his  rifle,  and  to  stand 
by  his  horse  to  prevent  a  stampede,  for  I  was 
somewhat  apprehensive  of  an  attack  at  daylight. 
Several  times  during  the  night  I  rose  and  visited 
the  sentries,  for  I  was  restless,  anxious,  and  wake- 
ful. At  early  dawn,  as  I  was  standing  by  a  sen- 
try near  one  of  the  outposts,  closely  scanning 
the  sky-line  between  ourselves  and  the  rising 
ground  to  our  right  which  lay  furthest  up  the 
stream,  I  suddenly  caught  sight  of  an  object 
moving  stealthily  between  us  and  the  horizon. 
At  the  same  moment  the  sentry  saw  it,  and  si- 
multaneously cocking  our  rifles,  we  stood  alert, 
30 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

with  straining  eyes  and  listening  ears.  An  in- 
stant later  the  soft  thud  of  unshod  horses'  hoofs 
upon  the  turf  came  to  our  ears,  and  peering  just 
above  the  crest  of  the  rising  ground  between  us 
and  the  horizon,  we  caught  sight  of  waving 
feathers  crowning  the  scalp-locks  of  three  mount- 
ed warriors.  The  sharp  crack  of  our  rifles  rang 
out  almost  simultaneously,  and,  with  the  cry  of 
"Indians!  Turn  out!  Indians!"  we  ran  back- 
ward towards  our  camp,  firing  as  we  ran  at  a 
group  of  mounted  warriors  which  instantly  sur- 
mounted the  hill,  where,  pausing  for  a  few  sec- 
onds, evidently  for  reinforcements,  they  broke 
into  a  gallop  and  came  rushing  down  on  our 
camp,  shouting,  and  beating  Indian  drums,  and 
rattling  dried  hides,  in  an  endeavor  to  stampede 
our  horses;  but  by  this  time  nearly  every  man 
was  standing  with  his  horse's  lariat  wrapped 
around  his  left  arm,  and  ready  for  a  shot  at  the 
stampeding  party  as  they  bore  down  upon  us.  A 
scattering  volley  from  the  scouts  dropped  one  of 
their  number  from  his  saddle,  and  they  sheered 
off,  carrying  with  them  two  of  our  four  mules, 
and  two  horses  that  had  not  been  securely  picket- 
ed, in  violation  of  orders.  The  attempted  stampede 
had  proved  a  failure.  "  Saddle  up  quickly, 
men!"  was  my  next  order,  and  in  an  incredibly 
short  time  the  command  was  saddled  and  bridled, 
and  in  another  moment  every  man  was  fully 
3i 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

and  completely  equipped.  The  two  men  whose 
horses  were  stampeded,  owing  to  their  own  neg- 
ligence, started  on  a  run  towards  where  they 
had  disappeared,  evidently  thinking  that  there 
was  a  possibility  of  their  recovery.  Ordering 
them  back  with  a  few  sharp  words,  I  told  the  men 
to  stand  to  horse,  having  already  made  up  my 
mind  what  course  to  pursue  in  case  I  was  heavily 
outnumbered.  It  had  begun  to  be  light  enough 
by  this  time  to  see  dimly  surrounding  objects 
within  a  few  hundred  yards,  when  suddenly 
Grover,  who  stood  by  my  side,  placed  his  hand 
on  my  shoulder  and  said,  "  Oh,  heavens,  gen- 
eral, look  at  the  Indians!" 

Well  might  he  say  "  look  at  the  Indians  \"  The 
ground  seemed  to  grow  them.  They  appeared  to 
start  out  of  the  very  earth.  On  foot  and  on 
horseback,  from  over  the  hills,  out  of  the  thickets, 
from  the  bed  of  the  stream,  from  the  north, 
south,  and  west,  along  the  opposite  bank,  and 
out  of  the  long  grass  on  every  side  of  us,  with 
wild  cries  of  exultation,  they  pressed  towards  us. 
A  few  sharp  volleys  from  the  command,  who 
stood  coolly  to  horse,  each  man  having  his  bridle 
thrown  over  his  left  arm,  staggered  them  for  a 
moment,  and  then  they  hastily  fell  back  out  of 
range.  It  was  scarcely  so  much  of  a  surprise 
party  as  they  had  planned,  and  they  were  some- 
what astonished  to  find  an  active  and  respon- 
32 


I  I  ■ 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

sive  reception  committee  promptly  on  hand  and 
ready  to  accord  them  a  warm  and  enthusiastic 
welcome  on  their  very  first  appearance. 

I  now  saw  clearly  that  there  was  but  one  course 
to  take.  So  completely  were  we  surrounded, 
and  so  greatly  outnumbered,  that  our  only  hope 
lay  in  a  successful  defence,  and  I  determined, 
in  any  event,  that  they  should  pay  dearly  for 
the  lives  of  my  scouts  before  ornamenting  the 
ridge-poles  of  their  lodges  with  our  reeking 
scalps. 

The  command  was  ordered  to  lead  their  horses 
to  the  little  island  just  in  front  of  us,  to  form  a 
circle  facing  outward,  securely  tie  their  horses 
to  the  bushes  just  outside  of  the  circle  so  formed, 
throw  themselves  on  the  ground,  and  intrench 
themselves  as  rapidly  as  possible,  two  men  work- 
ing together,  protecting  each  other  in  turn  as 
they  alternately  threw  up  the  earth  to  cover  them- 
selves. As  we  moved  in  almost  a  solid  front  to 
the  little  island,  leading  our  horses,  a  few  of  our 
best  shots,  under  Beecher,  Grover,  and  McCall, 
kept  up  a  rapid  and  steady  fire  from  our  flanks 
to  cover  the  movement,  which  seemed  for  a  few 
moments  to  puzzle  the  Indians,  for  they  had  ap- 
parently left  the  way  open  on  the  east,  down  the 
stream,  and,  I  think,  looked  to  see  us  mount  and 
attempt  a  retreat  that  way ;  but  I  knew  enough 
of  Indian  craft  to  be  certain  that  the  little  gorge 
c  33 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

311st  around  the  bend  of  the  stream  in  that  direc- 
tion would  be  lined  with  warriors,  and  I  knew, 
furthermore,  that  once  established  on  the  island, 
there  was  no  direction  from  which  they  could 
take  us  unawares  during  daylight.  Three  of 
our  best  men  remained  temporarily  in  the  long 
grass  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  covering  the  north 
end  of  the  island,  thereby  holding  in  check  any 
unusually  adventurous  warriors  who  might  be 
inclined  to  attempt  to  crawl  up  that  way  through 
the  river-bottom.  Scarcely  were  the  horses  tied 
in  a  circle  when  the  men  threw  themselves  on  the 
ground  and  began  firing  from  beneath  the  ani- 
mals, when  it  suddenly  seemed  to  dawn  upon  the 
savages  that  they  had  been  outgeneralled,  for 
as  we  started  towards  the  island,  judging  by  their 
actions  in  signalling  their  comrades  on  the  oppo- 
site bank,  they  fully  expected  that  we  would 
cross  the  stream.  Now  they  saw  their  error,  and 
also  realized,  too  late,  the  mistake  they  had  made 
in  not  occupying  the  island  themselves.  Appar- 
ently infuriated  at  their  blunder,  and  almost  in- 
stantly comprehending  the  advantage  we  would 
have  should  we  fortify  ourselves,  they  made  a 
desperate  onslaught  upon  us,  their  various  chiefs 
riding  rapidly  around  just  outside  of  rifle  range, 
and  impetuously  urging  their  dismounted  war- 
riors to  close  in  upon  us  on  all  sides.  Many  of  the 
mounted  Indians  sprang  from  their  horses  also, 
34 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

and  running  forward  they  lined  both  banks  of 
the  river,  and  from  the  reeds  and  long  grass 
poured  in  a  steady  and  galling  fire  upon  us.  A 
few  of  our  men  had  been  hit,  one  killed,  and 
several  more  badly  wounded;  our  horses  were 
being  shot  down  on  all  sides,  the  poor  animals 
plunging  and  rearing  at  their  tethers,  and  add- 
ing their  cries  to  the  wild  shouts  of  the  savages 
and  the  steady  crack  of  the  rifles  on  every  side. 
At  the  height  of  this  crisis — for  to  us  it  was  the 
crisis  of  the  day — one  of  them  shouted: 

"Don't  let's  stay  here  and  be  shot  down  like 
dogs!  Will  any  man  try  for  the  opposite  bank 
with  me?" 

"  I  will,"  answered  some  one  from  the  opposite 
side  of  the  circle. 

"Stay  where  you  are,  men.  It's  our  only 
chance,"  I  shouted,  as  I  stood  in  the  centre  of 
the  command,  revolver  in  hand.  "  I'll  shoot 
down  any  man  who  attempts  to  leave  the 
island." 

"  And  so  will  I,"  shouted  McCall. 

"  You  addle-headed  fools,  have  you  no  sense?" 
called  out  Beecher,  whose  every  shot  was  as  care- 
fully and  coolly  aimed  as  though  he  was  shooting 
at  a  target. 

"  Steady,  men !  steady,  now !  Aim  low.  Don't 
throw  away  a  shot,"  was  my  oft-repeated  com- 
mand, in  which  I  was  seconded  by  Beecher,  Mc- 
35 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

Call,  and  Grover.  "  Get  down  to  your  work, 
men.  Don't  shoot  unless  you  can  see  some- 
thing to  hit.  Don't  throw  away  your  ammuni- 
tion, for  our  lives  may  depend  upon  how  we 
husband  it." 

This  was  my  constantly  iterated  and  reiterated 
command  for  the  first  twenty  minutes  of  the  at- 
tack.  And  now  discipline  began  to  tell.  Many 
an  Indian  had  fallen  to  the  rear  badly  wounded, 
and  some  had  been  borne  back  dead,  judging 
from  the  wild  wails  of  the  women  and  children, 
who  could  now  be  seen  covering  the  bluffs  back 
of  the  valley  on  the  north  side  of  the  stream; 
and  so  hot  had  the  scouts  made  it  for  the  Indians 
close  in  on  the  river's  bank  that  they  had  crawled 
back  out  of  short  range,  evidently  satisfied  that 
it  was  safer,  as  far  as  they  were  concerned,  to 
send  their  bullets  from  a  longer  distance.  Dur- 
ing this  comparative  lull  in  the  fight  the  men 
were  not  idle,  and  with  their  butcher-knives  to 
cut  the  sod,  and  their  tin  plates  to  throw  up  the 
sand,  most  of  them  had  already  scooped  out  a 
hole  the  length  of  their  body,  from  eighteen 
inches  to  two  feet  in  depth,  and  piling  up  the 
sand  on  the  side  facing  the  enemy,  had  an  ample 
cover  against  rifle  bullets.  I  still  stood  upright, 
walking  from  man  to  man,  but  from  every  side 
came  appeals  for  me  to  lie  down.  As  we  were 
now  in  fairly  good  shape,  and  the  men  cool  and 

36 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

determined,  I  did  so.  Scarcely  had  I  lain  down 
when  I  received  a  shot  in  the  fore  part  of  the 
right  thigh,  the  bullet  ranging  upward;  and 
notwithstanding  it  remained  embedded  in  the 
flesh,  it  was  by  far  the  most  painful  wound  I  have 
ever  received.  For  a  moment  I  could  not  speak, 
so  intense  was  the  agony.  Several  of  the  men, 
knowing  I  was  hit,  called  out  to  know  if  I  still 
lived,  but  it  was  at  least  a  full  minute  before  I 
could  command  my  voice  and  assure  them  I  was 
not  mortally  hurt.  In  the  meantime  one  or  two 
Indians  had  crawled  up  on  the  lower  end  of  the 
island,  and,  hidden  by  a  few  bushes,  were  an- 
noying us  very  much.  However,  the  elder  Far- 
ley, who,  with  Harrington,  Gantt,  and  Burke, 
had  temporarily  taken  position  close  upon  the 
bank  of  the  river,  saw  the  flash  of  one  of  their 
rifles  from  the  centre  of  a  little  bush,  and  the 
next  instant  a  bullet  from  his  rifle  went  through 
the  very  middle  of  the  bush  and  crashed  into  the 
brave's  brain,  and  a  wild  half-smothered  shriek 
told  us  that  there  was  one  less  of  our  enemies  to 
encounter.  As  we  heard  nothing  more  from  the 
other  one,  I  concluded  that  he  dare  not  again  risk 
exposing  his  position  by  using  his  rifle.  As  I 
was  now  about  the  only  man  of  the  command 
unprotected  by  a  rifle-pit,  Doctor  Mooers  (who  had 
been  doing  splendid  service  with  his  rifle,  as  he 
was  a  capital  shot)  suggested  the  enlarging  of 
37 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

his  pit  to  accommodate  us  both.  Several  of  the 
men  promptly  went  to  his  assistance  in  enlarging 
and  deepening  it ;  but  while  they  were  doing  so, 
in  leaning  over  to  caution  one  of  the  men,  who 
I  thought  was  firing  a  little  too  fast  for  really 
good  shooting,  I  was  obliged,  in  order  to  ease  my 
wounded  thigh,  to  draw  up  my  left  leg  as  I  lay 
prone  on  the  earth,  and,  unfortunately  for  me, 
one  of  the  Indians  sent  a  bullet  through  it,  break- 
ing and  shattering  the  bone  badly  about  mid- 
way between  the  knee  and  ankle.  Three  min- 
utes later  I  was  pulled  down  into  the  now  en- 
larged pit,  and  was  under  cover.  Meanwhile  a 
steady  fire  was  kept  up  by  the  Indians,  who,  as 
one  of  the  men  expressed  it,  were  fairly  frothing 
at  the  mouth  at  our  unexpected  resistance,  for, 
with  their  experience  at  Fort  Phil  Kearney,  in 
1866,  where  they  annihilated  a  detachment  of 
eighty-one  soldiers  in  forty  minutes,  who  ad- 
vanced fresh  from  the  post  to  attack  them,  the 
determined  defence  of  our  much  smaller  and 
rather  worn  party  in  the  very  heart  of  their  own 
country  was  to  them  decidedly  exasperating. 
In  my  present  condition,  with  my  left  leg  broken, 
and  a  bullet  in  my  right  thigh,  I  was,  for  the 
nonce,  save  for  the  fact  that  I  still  retained  com- 
mand, something  of  a  spectator.  Gradually  work- 
ing myself  to  one  end  of  the  pit  on  my  elbows, 
dragging  my  body  along  with  no  inconsiderable 
38 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

pain,  I  was  able  to  partially  sit  up,  and,  by  rest- 
ing my  elbows  against  and  upon  the  fresh  earth, 
crane  my  head  forward  so  as  to  obtain  a  clear 
view  of  the  field.  The  pit  occupied  by  Surgeon 
Mooers  and  myself  was  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
island;  consequently  it  commanded  a  view  of 
the  whole  field.  A  glance  over  my  own  command 
was  most  reassuring.  Each  man  was  fairly 
well  sheltered  in  a  rifle-pit  of  his  own  construc- 
tion, generally  two  men  in  a  pit,  and  the  various 
pits  were  in  an  irregular  circle,  about  six  feet 
apart,  and  fortified  by  an  embankment  of  sand 
fully  eighteen  inches  in  thickness  both  front 
and  rear,  for  the  enemy's  bullets  came  from  all 
points  of  the  compass.  Some  of  the  wounded 
men,  with  bandages  around  their  heads,  were 
quite  as  active  and  alert  as  their  more  fortunate 
companions.  Only  one  man  of  the  command 
had  failed  me;  and  he!  Perhaps  it  may  be  as 
well  to  tell  the  story  of  this  individual  here  as 
well  as  elsewhere.  He  had  joined  the  command 
at  Fort  Hays,  and  I  was  much  impressed  by 
his  appearance.  No  one  seemed  to  know  him, 
as  he  was  a  recent  arrival  in  the  post,  and  com- 
paratively a  stranger  there.  Tall,  well  built, 
brown  hair  and  black  eyes,  a  flowing  beard  mid- 
way to  his  waist,  well  mounted  on  his  own  horse, 
a  good  rider,  and  with  a  pleasing  address,  he 
not  only  impressed  me  favorably,  but  others  also. 
39 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

On  our  first  scout  from  Fort  Hays  to  Fort  Wal- 
lace he  spoke  of  several  Indian  engagements 
in  the  far  north  in  which  he  had  taken  part,  and 
so  won  upon  me  by  his  statements  and  general 
bearing  that  I  thought  him,  for  this  especial 
service,  quite 'in valuuble.  Something  of  a  joker, 
he  was  rather  inclined  to  guy  and  poke  fun  at 
some  of  the  odd  characters  of  the  command,  and 
especially  at  a  young  Jew  of  about  nineteen  or 
twenty,  who  had  been  enrolled  just  at  the  last 
moment  at  Fort  Hays  to  complete  the  comple- 
ment of  fifty  men.  He  was  a  short,  stout,  rather 
awkward  and  boyish  young  fellow,  with  cherry 
cheeks,  and  verdant  in  some  ways,  and  entirely 
new  to  campaigning,  but  I  soon  noticed  his  good 
care  of  his  horse,  his  strict  obedience  to  orders, 
and  his  evident  anxiety  to  learn  his  duty  and  do 
it.  Furthermore,  my  experience  with  men  of  his 
race  during  the  civil  war,  with  a  single  exception, 
had  strongly  impressed  me  in  their  favor  as  be- 
ing brave  men  and  good  soldiers.  Imagine  my 
surprise  and  astonishment,  therefore,  when  we 
had  been  attacked  at  dawn,  to  discover  that  my 
fine-looking  scout  was  an  absolute  failure  and 
a  coward.  He  seemed  paralyzed  with  fear,  and 
had  been  among  the  first  to  finish  and  oc- 
cupy his  rifle-pit  on  the  island,  and  after 
firing  a  single  shot  he  had  lain  sheltered  in 
his  pit,  face  downward,  claiming  that  one  of 
40 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

the  Indians  "  kept  a  bead  drawn  on  him  f  and 
notwithstanding  he  was  reviled  and  berated 
roundly  for  a  coward  by  the  other  man  in  the  same 
pit,  as  well  as  by  those  in  his  immediate  vicinity, 
while  not  a  few  sharply  italicized  expressions 
were  from  time  to  time  hurled  at  him  by  Grover, 
McCall,  and  myself,  he  maintained  his  position 
and  still  lay  face  downward  in  the  sand,  while 
as  for  the  little  Jew !  well,  the  Indian  that  from 
dawn  to  dark  was  incautious  enough  to  expose 
any  part  of  his  person  within  the  range  of  his 
rifle  had  no  cause  to  complain  of  a  want  of  marked 
attention  on  the  part  of  that  brave  and  active 
young  Israelite.  In  fact  he  most  worthily  proved 
himself  a  gallant  soldier  among  brave  men. 
And  now  I  cautiously  took  in  a  complete  view  of 
the  field.  Nearly  all  of  our  horses  lay  dead  around 
us ;  a  few  of  them,  badly  wounded,  still  plunged 
and  moaned  and  strained  at  their  lariats  as  bul- 
let after  bullet  entered  their  bodies,  and  had  I  been 
certain  that  I  could  spare  the  ammunition,  I  would 
have  directed  my  own  men  to  put  the  poor  beasts 
out  of  their  misery.  Meanwhile  the  dead  bodies 
of  their  companions  stopped  many  a  bullet  in- 
tended for  us.  It  must  have  been  nearly  or  quite 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  cover  of 
any  kind  that  commanded  our  island,  such  as 
reeds,  long  grass,  trees,  turf,  plum  thickets,  and 
in  some  places  small  piles  of  stones  and  sand 
41 


A   FRONTIER    FIGHT 

thrown  up  hastily  by  themselves,  was  all  fully 
occupied  by  the  Indian  riflemen,  and  here  I  de- 
sire to  say  that  in  the  matter  of  arms  and  ammu- 
nition they  were  our  equals  in  every  respect. 
The  Springfield  breech-loaders  they  had  capt- 
ured at  Fort  Phil  Kearney  formed  part  of  their 
equipment,  as  well  as  Henry,  Remington,  and 
Spencer  rifles,  for  upon  our  withdrawal  from 
the  field,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they 
generally  keep  their  discharged  shells  for  reload- 
ing, my  command  found  scattered  around  in 
the  grass  many  hundreds  of  the  empty  shells 
of  fixed  ammunition  of  all  these  different  make 
of  guns.  Riding  around  just  out  of  range  of  our 
rifles  were  several  hundred  mounted  warriors, 
charging  here  and  there,  shouting,  gesticu- 
lating, waving  their  rifles  over  their  heads, 
and  apparently  half  frenzied  at  the  thought  of 
the  blunder  they  had  made  in  permitting  us  to 
obtain  possession  of  the  island.  Riding  up  and 
down  their  line  was  a  warrior,  evidently  chief 
in  command,  of  almost  gigantic  stature.  I  was 
almost  certain  who  it  must  be,  so  calling  out  to 
Grover,  I  asked  the  question,  "  Is  not  the  large 
warrior  Roman  Nose?" 

*  None  other,"  was  the  reply.     "  There  is  not 
such  another  Indian  on  the  plains." 

"  Then  these  are  the  northern  Cheyenne?" 
"  Yes,  and  the  Ogallalah  and    Brul£-Sioux, 
42 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

and  the  dog  soldiers/'  as  well.     There  are  more 
than  a  thousand  warriors  here." 

*  I  doubt  that/'  was  my  reply. 

"  General,  there  are  nearly  five  hundred  of 
the  northern  Cheyenne  alone  here  in  the  fight 
with  Roman  Nose/'  said  Grover.  I  would  not 
allow  myself  to  believe  his  statement,  and,  fur- 
thermore, I  did  not  wish  the  command  to  be  dis- 
heartened, so  I  shouted  back :  "  Nonsense !  Grover. 
There  are  not  more  than  five  hundred  warriors 
here  altogether,  if  so  many.  You  must  be  tak- 
ing in  some  of  the  women  and  children,"  for  just 
back  of  the  mounted  warriors  the  bluffs  were 
covered  with  women  and  children  watching  the 
progress  of  the  fight.  A  muttered  reply  from 
Grover,  which  I  did  not  catch,  convinced  me  that 
he  still  held  to  his  first  expressed  opinion,  while 
the  men  around  me  estimated  the  number  far 
greater  than  either  of  us.  I  now  know  that 
Grover's  estimate  was  very  nearly  correct. 

For  the  next  hour  or  so  matters  in  our  imme- 

*  "  Dog  soldiers  "  was  a  name  given  to  about  a  hundred 
warriors  of  the  various  Sioux  and  other  tribes  that  were  for 
some  reasons  renegades  and  outcasts,  in  fact,  bad  men, 
generally  criminals,  who  had  been  compelled  to  withdraw 
from  association  with  their  own  people.  Banded  together, 
they  were  practically  Indian  highwaymen,  and  it  was  this 
band  that  the  head  men  of  the  various  tribes  claimed  they 
could  not  control,  and  upon  whom  they  laid  the  blame  for 
attacks  upon  the  outer  settlements  when  they  wished  to 
avoid  responsibility. 

43 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

diate  vicinity  were  comparatively  quiescent.     A 
steady  fire  against  us  was  constantly  kept  up 
by  the  enemy,  but  only  returned  by  the  scouts 
when  they  saw  an  opportunity  to  effectively  use 
their  cartridges;  and  the  Indians  at  length  be- 
gan to  perceive  this,  for  as  it  was  they  were  play- 
ing a  losing  game.     Our  men  were  now  better 
protected  than  they  were,  and  were  also  better 
shots.    The  consequence  was  that  many  a  badly 
wounded  brave  fell  to  the  rear,  while  very  few 
of  our  people  were  being  hurt.     At  this  juncture 
the  last  of  our  horses  went  down,  and  one  of  the 
Indians  shouted  in  English,  "  There  goes  the 
last  damned  horse,  anyhow!"    This  rather  con- 
firmed  me  in  the  idea  I  had  somehow  imbibed 
during  the  action  that  either  one  of  old  Bent's 
sons   (the  half-breed   Indian  trader),   who  had 
been  educated  in  the  East,  was  with  the  Sioux, 
or  else  there  was  some  white  renegade  in  their 
ranks,  for  twice  since  the  opening  of  the  engage- 
ment I  had  distinctly  heard  the  notes  of  an  ar- 
tillery bugle.     Leaning  too  far  forward  to  get 
a  better  view  of  the  mounted  warriors,  who  seemed 
to  be  moving  towards  the  canon  below  us,  from 
where  we  had  on  the  preceding  day  debouched 
into  the  little  valley  we  were   now  besieged  in, 
I  rather  rashly  exposed  my  head,  and  some  one 
of  the  Indian  riflemen  promptly  sent  an  excel- 
lent line  shot  towards  it.     The  bullet  struck  me 

44 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

just  on  the  top  of  my  soft  felt  hat,  which,  having 
a  high  crown,  was  fortunately  doubled  down, 
so  it  glanced  off,  cutting  through  several  thick- 
nesses of  felt,  but  nevertheless  knocked  me 
almost  senseless  to  the  bottom  of  my  rifle-pit. 
It  was  some  seconds  ere  I  could  completely  re- 
cover myself  and  crawl  back  to  my  sitting  posi- 
tion. At  the  time  of  this  occurrence  I  thought 
little  of  it;  of  course,  a  large  lump  swelled  up  at 
once,  but  as  the  skin  was  hardly  broken,  and 
just  then  I  had  many  other  things  to  occupy  my 
attention,  I  took  little  heed  of  the  intense  head- 
ache that  for  a  short  time  half  blinded  me.  A 
month  later,  however,  the  surgeon's  probe  dis- 
closed the  fact  that  my  skull  had  been  fractured, 
and  he  removed  a  loose  piece  of  it.  About  this 
time  several  of  the  mounted  Indians,  for  some 
cause  that  I  was  not  able  to  determine,  dashed 
up  within  rifle  range,  and  from  their  horses  took 
a  sort  of  pot-shot  at  us.  Doctor  Mooers,  who 
had  been  closely  watching  their  approach  as 
they  careered  around  the  island,  gradually  les- 
sening their  distance,  watched  his  opportunity 
and  shot  one  of  them  through  the  head.  As  the 
brave  fell  dead  from  his  horse  he  remarked, "  That 
rascally  redskin  will  not  trouble  us  again."  Al- 
most immediately  afterwards  I  heard  the  pecul- 
iar thud  that  tells  the  breaking  of  bone  by  a  bul- 
let. Turning  to  the  doctor,  I  saw  him  put  his 
45 


A    FRONTIER    FIGHT 

hand  to  his  head,  saying,  "  I'm  hit/'  his  head  at 
the  same  time  falling  forward  on  the  sand.  Crawl- 
ing to  him,  I  pulled  his  body  down  into  the  pit 
and  turned  him  upon  his  back,  but  I  saw  at  once 
that  there  was  no  hope.  A  bullet  had  entered 
his  forehead  just  over  the  eye,  and  the  wound 
was  mortal.  He  never  spoke  another  rational 
word,  but  lingered  nearly  three  days  before  dy- 
ing. During  the  rest  of  this  first  day's  fight  he 
lay  on  his  back  opposite  me  at  the  other  end  of 
the  rifle-pit,  and  several  times  during  the  day 
he  partially  revived,  and  then,  probably  in  order 
to  see  if  I  was  in  the  pit,  and  he  was  not  aban- 
doned, he  would  push  his  body  forward  and  kick 
out  with  his  foot,  a  half-unconscious  proceeding 
on  his  part  that  caused  me  much  pain.  He 
could  neither  see  nor  hear,  and  yet  he  was  evi- 
dently able  in  a  dim  way  to  reason  regarding  the 
situation. 

Once  more  placing  my  back  against  the  side 
of  the  rifle-pit,  and  again  raising  myself  upon 
my  elbows,  I  peered  over  the  little  earthwork 
with  rather  more  caution  than  before.  On  look- 
ing towards  the  opposite  bank,  and  down  the 
stream,  I  saw  most  of  the  mounted  warriors  had 
disappeared,  and  those  who  remained  were  slow- 
ly trotting  towards  the  little  gorge  I  have  before 
mentioned,  and  again  I  distinctly  heard  the  clear 
notes  of  an  artillery  bugle.  Others  of  the  mount- 
46 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

ed  warriors  now  moved  towards  the  gorge,  and 
it  flashed  upon  me  that  Roman  Nose  was  forming 
his  warriors  for  a  charge  just  around  the  bend  of 
the  river,  out  of  sight,  and  beyond  rifle  range.  I 
accordingly  called  out  to  Lieutenant  Beecher, 
who  was  near  the  head  of  the  island,  stating  my 
opinion.  "I  believe  you  are  right,"  was  his 
reply,  and  both  Grover  and  McCall  coincided 
with  us.  "  Then  let  the  men  get  ready,"  was 
my  order.  Accordingly  each  Spencer  repeating 
rifle  was  charged  at  once,  with  six  shots  in  the 
magazine  and  one  in  the  barrel.  The  guns  of 
the  dead  and  mortally  wounded  were  also  loaded 
and  laid  close  at  hand,  the  men's  revolvers  care- 
fully looked  to  and  loosened  in  their  belts,  and 
word  was  passed  not  to  attempt  to  return  the  fire 
of  the  dismounted  Indians  in  case  a  mounted 
charge  was  made ;  but  the  men  were  told  to  turn 
towards  the  quarter  from  whence  the  charge 
came,  and  to  commence  firing  at  the  word  of  com- 
mand only.  In  the  meantime  the  fire  of  the  Ind- 
ians lying  around  us  had  slackened  and  almost 
ceased.  This  only  confirmed  us  in  our  anticipa- 
tion, and  word  was  again  passed  cautioning  the 
men  to  lie  close  until  the  fire  of  the  dismounted 
Indians  slackened. 

We  had  not  long  to  wait.     A  peal  of  the  artil- 
lery bugle,  and  at  a  slow  trot  the  mounted  war- 
riors came  partially  into  view  in  an  apparently 
47 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

solid  mass  at  the  foot  of  the  valley,  halting  just 
by  the  mouth  of  the  canon  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river  from  which  we  had  emerged  the  pre- 
ceding day.  I  had  placed  my  back  firmly  against 
my  little  earthwork ;  my  rifle  lay  across  my  chest, 
and  my  revolver  on  the  sand  beside  me.  I  could 
not  do  much,  wounded  as  I  was,  but  I  recognized 
the  fact  that  even  a  chance  shot  or  two  might 
possibly  do  good  service  in  the  work  that  the 
savages  were  about  to  cut  out  for  us.  Closely 
watching  the  mounted  warriors,  I  saw  their  chief 
facing  his  command,  and,  by  his  gestures,  evi- 
dently addressing  them  in  a  few  impassioned 
words.  Then  waving  his  hand  in  our  direction, 
he  turned  his  horse's  head  towards  us,  and  at  the 
word  of  command  they  broke  at  once  into  full  gal- 
lop, heading  straight  for  the  foot  of  the  island.  I 
was  right  in  my  surmise;  we  were  to  be  anni- 
hilated by  being  shot  down  as  they  rode  over  us. 
As  Roman  Nose  dashed  gallantly  forward, 
and  swept  into  the  open  at  the  head  of  his  superb 
command,  he  was  the  very  beau  ideal  of  an  In- 
dian chief.  Mounted  on  a  large,  clean-limbed 
chestnut  horse,  he  sat  well  forward  on  his  bare- 
backed charger,  his  knees  passing  under  a  horse- 
hair lariat  that  twice  loosely  encircled  the  ani- 
mal's body,  his  horse's  bridle  grasped  in  his  left 
hand,  which  was  also  closely  wound  in  its  flow- 
ing mane,  and  at  the  same  time  clutched  his 
48 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

rifle  at  the  guard,  the  butt  of  which  lay  partially 
upon  and  across  the  animal's  neck,  while  its  bar- 
rel, crossing  diagonally  in  front  of  his  body,  rest- 
ed slightly  against  the  hollow  of  his  left  arm, 
leaving  his  right  free  to  direct  the  course  of  his 
men.  He  was  a  man  over  six  feet  and  three  inch- 
es in  height,  beautifully  formed,  and,  save  for 
a  crimson  silk  sash  knotted  around  his  waist, 
and  his  moccasins  on  his  feet,  perfectly  naked. 
His  face  was  hideously  painted  in  alternate 
lines  of  red  and  black,  and  his  head  crowned 
with  a  magnificent  war-bonnet,  from  which,  just 
above  his  temples  and  curving  slightly  forward, 
stood  up  two  short  black  buffalo  horns,  while 
its  ample  length  of  eagles'  feathers  and  herons' 
plumes  trailed  wildly  on  the  wind  behind  him; 
and  as  he  came  swiftly  on  at  the  head  of  his 
charging  warriors,  in  all  his  barbaric  strength 
and  grandeur,  he  proudly  rode  that  day  the  most 
perfect  type  of  a  savage  warrior  it  has  been  my 
lot  to  see.  Turning  his  face  for  an  instant  towards 
the  women  and  children  of  the  united  tribes,  who 
literally  by  thousands  were  watching  the  fight 
from  the  crest  of  the  low  bluffs  back  from  the 
river's  bank,  he  raised  his  right  arm  and  waved 
his  hand  with  a  royal  gesture  in  answer  to  their 
wild  cries  of  rage  and  encouragement  as  he  and 
his  command  swept  down  upon  us;  and  again 
facing  squarely  towards  where  we  lay,  he  drew 
D  49 


A    FRONTIER    FIGHT 

his  body  to  its  full  height  and  shook  his  clinched 
list  defiantly  at  us ;  then  throwing  back  his  head 
and  glancing  skywards,  he  suddenly  struck  the 
palm  of  his  hand  across  his  mouth  and  gave 
tongue  to  a  war-cry  that  I  have  never  yet  heard 
equalled  in  power  and  intensity.  Scarcely  had 
its  echoes  reached  the  river's  bank  when  it  was 
caught  up  by  each  and  every  one  of  the  charging 
warriors  with  an  energy  that  baffles  description, 
and  answered  back  with  blood-curdling  yells  of 
exultation  and  prospective  vengeance  by  the 
women  and  children  on  the  river's  bluffs  and  by 
the  Indians  who  lay  in  ambush  around  us.  On 
they  came  at  a  swinging  gallop,  rending  the 
air  with  their  wild  war-whoops,  each  individual 
warrior  in  all  his  bravery  of  war-paint  and  long 
braided  scalp-lock  tipped  with  eagles'  feathers, 
and  all  stark  naked  but  for  their  cartridge-belts 
and  moccasins,  keeping  their  line  almost  per- 
fectly, with  a  front  of  about  sixty  men,  all  riding 
bareback,  with  only  loose  lariats  about  their 
horses'  bodies,  about  a  yard  apart,  and  with  a 
depth  of  six  or  seven  ranks,  forming  together  a 
compact  body  of  massive  fighting  strength,  and  of 
almost  resistless  weight.  "  Boldly  they  rode,  and 
well,"  with  their  horses'  bridles  in  their  left  hands, 
while  with  their  right  they  grasped  their  rifles  at 
the  guard  and  held  them  squarely  in  front  of  them- 
selves, resting  lightly  upon  their  horses'  necks. 
50 


IMmmM 

^            ■ 

f 

V       v 

THE    DEFIANCE    OF    ROMAN    NOSE 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

Riding  about  five  paces  in  front  of  the  centre 
of  the  line,  and  twirling  his  heavy  Springfield 
rifle  around  his  head  as  if  it  were  a  wisp  of  straw 
(probably  one  of  those  he  had  captured  at  the 
Fort  Phil  Kearney  massacre),  Roman  Nose  reck- 
lessly led  the  charge  with  a  bravery  that  could 
only  be  equalled  but  not  excelled,  while  their 
medicine-man,  an  equally  brave  but  older  chief, 
rode  slightly  in  advance  of  the  left  of  the 
charging  column.  To  say  that  I  was  surprised 
at  this  splendid  exhibition  of  pluck  and  disci- 
pline, is  to  put  it  mildly,  and  to  put  it,  further,  that 
for  an  instant  or  two  I  was  fairly  lost  in  admira- 
tion of  the  glorious  charge,  is  simply  to  state 
the  truth,  for  it  was  far  and  away  beyond  any- 
thing I  had  heard  of,  read  about,  or  even  imag- 
ined regarding  Indian  warfare.  A  quick  back- 
ward glance  at  my  men  was  most  reassuring. 
Each  scout  had  turned  in  his  rifle-pit  towards  the 
direction  from  which  the  charge  was  coming. 
Crouching  low,  and  leaning  forward,  with  their 
knees  well  under  them,  their  rifles  grasped  with 
a  grip  of  steel  in  their  brown  sinewy  hands,  their 
chests  heaving  with  excitement,  their  teeth  set 
hard,  their  nostrils  aquiver,  their  bronzed  coun- 
tenances fairly  aflame,  and  their  eyes  flashing 
fire,  they  grimly  lay  waiting  the  word  of  com- 
mand, as  brave  and  gallant  a  little  company  of 
men  as  ever  yet  upheld  the  reputation  of  Anglo- 
5i 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

Saxon  courage.  No  sooner  were  the  charging 
warriors  fairly  under  way  than  a  withering  fire 
was  suddenly  poured  in  upon  us  by  those  of  the 
Indians  who  lay  in  ambush  around  us  intently 
watching  our  every  movement,  in  the  vain  hope 
that  they  might  sufficiently  cow  us  to  protect 
their  charging  column  against  our  rifles.  I  had 
expected  this  action,  but  I  well  knew  that  once 
their  horsemen  came  within  a  certain  radius 
their  fire  must  cease.  For  eight  or  ten  seconds 
it  seemed  to  rain  bullets,  and  then  came  a  sudden 
lull.  Sitting  upright  in  my  pit  as  well  as  I  was 
able,  and  leaning  backward  on  my  elbows,  I 
shouted,  "Now!"  and  "Now!"  was  echoed  by 
Beecher,  McCall,  and  Grover.  Instantly  the 
scouts  were  on  their  knees,  with  their  rifles  at 
their  shoulders.  A  quick  flash  of  their  eyes 
along  the  barrels,  and  forty  good  men  and  true 
sent  their  first  of  seven  successive  volleys  into 
the  ranks  of  the  charging  warriors. 

Crash  I 

On  they  come,  answering  back  the  first  volley 
with  a  ringing  war-whoop. 

Crash  I 

And  now  I  begin  to  see  falling  warriors,  ay, 
and  horses  too;  but  still  they  sweep  forward 
with  yet  wilder  yells. 

Crash  ! 

They  seem  to  be  fairly  falling  over  each  other; 
52 


A    FRONTIER    FIGHT 

both  men  and  horses  are  down  in  heaps,  and 
wild  shrieks  from  the  women  and  children  on 
the  hills  proclaim  that  they  too  see  the  slaughter 
of  their  braves;  but  still  they  come. 

Crash  ! 

They  have  ceased  to  yell,  but  yet  come  bravely 
on.  What?  No!  Yes,  down  goes  their  medi- 
cine-man ;  but  Roman  Nose  still  recklessly  leads 
the  column.  But  now  I  can  see  great  gaps  in 
their  ranks,  showing  that  our  bullets  have  told 
heavily  among  them. 

Crash  I 

Can  I  believe  my  eyes  ?  Roman  Nose  is  down  I 
He  and  his  horse  lie  dead  together  on  the  sand, 
and  for  an  instant  the  column  shakes ;  but  a  hun- 
dred yards  more  and  they  are  upon  us ! 

Crash  ! 

They  stagger!  They  half  draw  rein!  They 
hesitate!     They  are  breaking! 

Crash  ! 

And  like  an  angry  wave  that  hurls  itself  upon 
a  mighty  rock  and  breaks  upon  its  rugged  front, 
the  Indians  divide  each  side  of  the  little  breast- 
work, throw  themselves  almost  beneath  the  off 
side  of  their  chargers,  and  with  hoarse  cries  of 
rage  and  anguish  break  for  either  bank  of  the 
river,  and  scatter  wildly  in  every  direction,  as 
the  scouts,  springing  to  their  feet  with  a  ringing 
cheer,  pour  in  volley  after  volley  from  their  re- 
53 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

volvers  almost  in  the  very  faces  of  their  now 
demoralized  and  retreating  foe. 

"  Down,  men!  lie  down!"  I  fairly  shriek.  "  Get 
down!  down  for  your  lives!" cries  McCall.  And 
the  men,  hurling  bitter  taunts  and  imprecations 
after  the  retreating  savages,  throw  themselves, 
panting,  flat  on  their  faces  inside  of  their  rifle-pits 
just  in  time  to  escape  a  scorching  volley  from  the 
Indians  still  lying  in  ambush  around  us,  who 
have  been  anxiously  watching  the  charge  and, 
naturally  enough,  are  wildly  enraged  at  its  failure. 

As  for  myself,  a  single  shot  from  my  rifle, 
and  a  few  from  my  revolver  just  at  the  close  of 
the  charge,  was  all  that  I  could  do  in  my  crippled 
state ;  but  the  fact  that  I  had  to  lie  flat  upon  my 
back,  craning  my  head  forward,  had,  by  placing 
me  below  the  plane  of  fire,  enabled  me  to  watch 
every  phase  of  the  Indians'  desperate  charge. 

But  now,  to  me,  came  the  hardest  blow  of  the 
whole  day.  Lieutenant  Beecher  rose  from  his 
rifle-pit,  and,  leaning  on  his  rifle,  half  staggered, 
half  dragged  himself  to  where  1  lay,  and  calmly 
lying  down  by  my  side,  with  his  face  turned 
downward  on  his  arm,  said,  quietly  and  simply : 
"  I  have  my  death- wound,  General.  I  am  shot 
in  the  side,  and  dying." 

"  Oh  no,  Beecher — no !  It  can't  be  as  bad  as 
that!" 

"Yes.  Good-night."  And  then  he  immediate- 
54 


A    FRONTIER    FIGHT 

ly  sank  into  half-unconsciousness.  In  a  few  mo- 
ments I  heard  him  murmur,  "  My  poor  mother  "  ; 
and  then  he  soon  grew  slightly  delirious,  and  at 
times  I  could  hear  him  talking  in  a  semi-uncon- 
scious manner  about  the  fight ;  but  he  was  never 
again  fully  conscious,  and  at  sunset  his  life  went 
out.  And  thus  perished  one  of  the  best  and 
bravest  officers  in  the  United  States  army. 

Once  more  I  slowly  worked  my  way  back 
against  the  end  of  the  pit,  and  leaning  my  elbow 
back  against  its  side,  craned  my  head  forward 
for  a  view  of  the  field.  Close  to  our  pits — so 
close  that  the  men  by  leaning  forward  could 
touch  their  bodies  with  their  rifles — lay  three 
dead  warriors;  just  beyond  these  lay  several 
more,  while  for  six  or  seven  hundred  yards  in 
the  direction  from  which  the  charge  had  been 
made  the  ground  was  strewn  here  and  there  by 
dead  Indians  and  horses,  singly  and  in  little 
groups,  showing  clearly  the  effect  of  each  one  of 
the  seven  volleys  the  scouts  had  poured  into  the 
charging  column. 

Turning  towards  where  my  guide  Grover  lay, 
I  somewhat  anxiously  put  the  question,  "  Can 
they  do  better  than  that,  Grover?" 

"  I  have  been  on  the  plains,  man  and  boy, 
General,  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  I  never 
saw  anything  like  that  before.     I  think  they 
have  done  their  level  best,"  was  his  reply. 
55 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

"  All  right,  then/'  was  my  response;  *  we  are 
good  for  them."  And  again  glancing  to  where 
lay  the  dead  bodies  of  Roman  Nose  and  the  medi- 
cine-man, I  felt  that  the  outcome  of  the  battle 
would  be  decided  by  the  staying  powers  of  the 
combatants.*    In  the  meantime  the  valley  was 

*  The  following  graphic  sketch  of  this  noted  warrior  is 
taken  from  General  Fry's  book,  Army  Sacrifices.  It  is 
from  notes  taken  at  the  time  by  General  Rodenbough,  one 
of  the  army  officers  present  on  the  occasion  of  a  council 
between  General  Palmer  of  the  United  States  Army  and 
the  Cheyennes,  held  near  Fort  Ellsworth,  Kansas,  in  1866, 
at  the  time  this  tribe  entered  its  protest  against  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Pacific  Railroad  through  their  hunting-grounds. 
I  regard  it  as  the  finest  description  of  an  Indian  warrior  I 
have  ever  read  :  "  Roman  Nose  moved  in  a  solemn  and  ma- 
jestic manner  to  the  centre  of  the  chamber.  He  was  one  of 
the  finest  specimens  of  the  untamed  savage.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  exaggerate  in  describing  his  superb  physique. 
A  veritable  man  of  war,  the  shock  of  battle  and  scenes  of 
carnage  and  cruelty  were  as  the  breath  of  his  nostrils ; 
about  thirty  years  of  age,  standing  six  feet  three  inches 
high,  he  towered,  giant-like,  above  his  companions.  A 
grand  head,  with  strongly  marked  features,  lighted  by  a 
pair  of  fierce  black  eyes ;  a  large  mouth  with  thin  lips, 
through  which  gleamed  rows  of  strong  white  teeth ;  a 
Roman  nose,  with  delicate  nostrils  like  those  of  a  thorough- 
bred horse,  first  attracted  attention,  while  a  broad  chest, 
with  symmetrical  limbs,  on  which  the  muscles  under  the 
bronze  of  his  skin  stood  out  like  twisted  wire,  were  some  of 
the  points  of  this  splendid  animal.  Clad  in  buckskin  leg- 
gings and  moccasins,  elaborately  embroidered  with  beads 
and  feathers,  with  a  single  eagle  feather  in  his  scalp-lock, 
and  that  rarest  of  robes,  a  white  buffalo,  beautifully  tanned 
and  as  soft  as  cashmere,  thrown  over  his  naked  shoulders, 
he  stood  forth,  the  war-chief  of  the  Cheyennes." 
56 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

resonant  with  the  shrieks  of  the  women  and  chil- 
dren, who,  from  their  coign  of  vantage  on  the 
hills,  had  safely  but  eagerly  watched  the  result  of 
Roman  Nose's  desperate  charge;  and  now,  as 
their  fathers,  sons,  brothers,  and  lovers  lay  dead 
on  the  sands  before  them,  their  wild  wails  of  pas- 
sionate grief  and  agony  fitfully  rose  and  fell  on 
the  air  in  a  prolonged  and  mournful  cadence  of 
rage  and  despair.  And  as  for  a  short  time  many 
of  the  Indians  rode  circling  around,  yelling  and 
waving  their  arms  over  their  heads,  hither  and 
yon,  apparently  half  dazed  at  the  death  of  the 
medicine-man  and  their  great  war-chief,  as  well 
as  at  the  disastrous  failure  of  their  charge,  the 
whole  scene,  combined  with  the  steady  crack  of 
the  rifles  of  the  Indians  in  ambush,  the  reply  of 
the  scouts,  the  smoke  of  the  powder,  and  the 
view  of  the  dead  warriors  and  horses  lying  on 
the  sand  before  us,  seemed  for  a  moment  or  two 
almost  uncanny  and  weird  in  the  extreme. 

And  now  came  another  lull  in  the  battle.  The 
mounted  Indians  drew  off  to  the  little  canon 
where  they  had  before  formed  for  the  charge,  and 
for  the  next  few  hours  were  evidently  in  close 
consultation;  but  the  wailing  of  the  women  and 
children  never  ceased,  and  the  Indians  in  am- 
bush fitfully  fired  now  and  then  at  our  breast- 
works, but  with  no  results  so  far  as  any  loss  to 
us  was  concerned. 

57 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

About  two  o'clock,  under  new  leaders,  they  es- 
sayed another  charge,  this  time  in  open  order, 
and  half  surrounding  us  as  they  came  on.  It 
was  an  abject  failure,  for  they  broke  and  ran 
before  they  came  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the 
island,  and  before  they  had  lost  more  than  eight 
or  ten  men  killed  and  wounded ;  and  not  a  man 
of  my  command  was  hit.  Renewed  wails  from 
the  women,  and  a  desultory  fire  from  the  Indians 
surrounding  us,  were  the  outcome  of  this  fiasco ; 
but  between  five  and  six  o'clock  they  again 
formed  up  in  the  little  canon,  and  with  a  rush 
came  on  en  masse  with  wild  cries  for  vengeance, 
evidently  wrought  up  to  frenzy  by  the  wails  and 
taunts  of  their  women  and  children ;  but  scarcely 
had  they  come  within  range  when  the  scouts  (who 
during  the  lull  in  the  battle  had  securely  covered 
themselves  by  deepening  their  rifle-pits  and 
strengthening  their  earthworks,  so  that  they 
were  well  protected  from  the  Indian  riflemen)  be- 
gan picking  them  off  as  coolly  and  deliberately 
as  possible.  It  was  simply  death  to  advance,  and 
they  broke  and  fled  just  as  the  boldest  of  them 
had  reached  the  foot  of  the  island;  and  as  they 
turned  back  and  sought  safety  in  flight  I  felt  sat- 
isfied that  it  was  the  last  attempt  that  would  be 
made  by  mounted  warriors  to  carry  our  little 
breastworks.  Night  came  slowly  down,  and  as 
darkness  overshadowed  the  land  it  began  to  rain ; 
58 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

and  never  was  night  or  rain  more  welcome,  for 
during  the  day  the  sun  had  been  intensely  hot, 
blisteringly  so,  and  our  fight  had  been  from  early 
dawn  without  water  or  food  of  any  kind,  and 
we  were  wellnigh  spent  with  the  work  and  ex- 
citement of  the  day.  As  the  Indians  never  at- 
tack at  night,  we  were  comparatively  safe  until 
morning ;  so,  as  soon  as  we  had  obtained  water 
from  the  stream  and  quenched  our  thirst,  I  called 
McCall  and  Grover  to  me,  and  asked  for  a  list  of 
the  killed  and  wounded,  and  in  a  few  moments  I 
had  the  result  of  the  day's  fighting,  as  far  as  we 
were  concerned.  Considering  the  fact  that  my 
command,  including  myself,  only  numbered  fifty- 
one  men,  the  outlook  was  somewhat  dismal. 
Lieutenant  Beecher,  Surgeon  Mooers,  and  scouts 
Chalmers  Smith  and  Wilson  were  dead  or  dying ; 
scouts  Louis  Farley  and  Bernard  Day  were  mor- 
tally wounded ;  scouts  O'Donnell,  Davis,  Tucker, 
Gantt,  Clarke,  Armstrong,  Morton,  and  Violett 
severely,  and  scouts  Harrington,  Davenport,  Hal- 
ley,  McLaughlin,  Hudson  Farley,  McCall,  and 
two  others  slightly  wounded.  As  for  myself, 
with  a  bullet  in  my  right  thigh,  my  left  leg  broken 
below  the  knee,  and  an  inconvenient  scalp  wound 
that  gave  me  an  intense  headache,  it  was  all  I 
could  do  to  pull  myself  together  and  set  about  get- 
ting out  of  the  dangerous  position  into  which  I 
had  led  my  command.  I  had  an  abundance  of 
59 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

ammunition  and  still  twenty-eight  fairly  sound 
men,  and  at  a  pinch  all  but  six  or  seven  of  the 
wounded  could  also  take  a  hand  if  required  in  a 
hot  fight.  I  had  little  to  fear  that  the  Indians 
would  again  assault  our  works,  and  I  knew  that 
water  within  our  intrenchments  could  be  had  for 
the  digging ;  in  fact,  Scout  Burke  had  already 
dug  a  small  well  at  the  bottom  of  his  rifle-pit, 
and  with  a  shout  had  just  announced  that  the 
water  was  rapidly  seeping  through  the  sand. 
The  dead  horses  and  mules  would  furnish  us 
food  for  some  days,  if  we  could  keep  the  meat  from 
putrefying,  and  I  believed  I  could  rely  upon  some 
of  the  men  to  steal  through  the  Indian  lines  and 
make  their  way  to  Fort  Wallace,  which  I  judged 
to  be  about  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  distant. 
Accordingly,  orders  were  given  to  strengthen  and 
connect  all  the  rifle-pits;  unsaddle  the  dead 
horses,  and  use  the  saddles  to  help  build  up  our 
parapet;  to  dig  out  and  fortify  a  place  for  the 
wounded,  and  dress  their  wounds  as  well  as 
could  be  done  under  our  adverse  circumstances; 
to  deepen  Burke's  well;  and  to  cut  off  a  large 
quantity  of  steaks  from  the  dead  horses  and 
mules,  and  to  bury  all  the  meat  that  we  did  not 
immediately  need  in  the  sand.  The  men  worked 
with  a  will,  and  before  midnight  we  were  in  very 
good  shape.  I  had  volunteers  in  plenty  to  go  to 
Fort  Wallace,  and  of  these  I  selected  two — Pierre 
60 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

Truedeau,  an  old  and  experienced  trapper,  and 
a  young  fellow  named  Jack  Stillwell,  a  handsome 
boy  of  about  nineteen,  with  all  the  pluck  and 
enthusiasm  of  an  American  frontier  lad,  who 
afterwards  became  one  of  the  best-known  and 
most  reliable  scouts  on  our  northwestern  frontier. 
Two  better  men  for  the  purpose  it  would  have 
been  difficult  to  find.  I  gave  Still  well,  as  he 
was  by  far  the  more  intelligent  and  better  edu- 
cated man  of  the  two,  my  only  map,  told  him 
about  where  1  thought  we  were,  and  gave  him 
directions  to  get  to  Fort  Wallace  as  quickly  as 
possible,  tell  Colonel  Bankhead,  the  command- 
ing officer,  and  an  old  friend,  our  situation,  and 
as  he  would  probably  send,  or  more  likely  come 
at  once  to  our  rescue,  to  return  with  him  and 
guide  him  to  us.*  A  little  after  midnight  he  and 
Truedeau  stole  out  quietly,  walking  backward 
in  their  stocking  feet,  and  carrying  their  boots 
slung  around  their  necks,  that  the  impress  of 
their  feet  in  the  sand  might  make  a  similar  mark 
to  that  of  a  moccasin,  and  deceive  the  Indians, 

*  These  two  men,  Truedeau  and  Stillwell,  eventually 
reached  the  post  of  Fort  Wallace  three  days  after  leaving 
us.  They  had  to  lie  concealed  during  the  day-time,  as 
they  almost  ran  into  several  Indian  scouting  parties,  and 
at  one  time  they  had  to  conceal  themselves  by  hiding  inside 
the  dried  up,  year-old  carcasses  of  two  dead  buffaloes. 
Truedeau  died  a  few  years  afterwards,  but  Jack  Stillwell 
grew  up  to  be  one  of  the  ablest  and  best-known  scouts  on 
the  plains. 

61 


A  FRONTIER   FIGHT 

should  they  discover  the  sign.  After  they  had 
started  I  ate  a  few  mouthfuls  of  raw  horse-flesh, 
drank  nearly  a  canteen  of  water,  dressed  my 
wounds  as  well  as  I  could  with  water  dressings, 
and,  a  strong  guard  having  been  mounted,  I 
dozed  away  until  nearly  daylight.  Then  we  pre- 
pared a  reception  for  our  foes,  who  I  knew  would 
be  likely  to  renew  the  attack  at  dawn. 

All  night  long  we  could  hear  the  Indians 
stealthily  removing  the  dead  bodies  of  their  slain, 
and  their  camp  resounded  with  the  beat  of  drums 
and  the  death- wail  of  the  mourners.  I  had  cau- 
tioned the  men  to  lie  close,  and  not  to  fire  until 
the  Indians  were  fairly  upon  us,  as  I  thought 
they  would  make  a  rush  on  us  at  the  first  flush 
of  dawn.  In  this,  however,  I  was  mistaken,  for 
from  their  actions  they  evidently  believed  that 
we  had  escaped  under  cover  of  night,  and  accord- 
ingly a  large  party  of  mounted  warriors  rode  up 
to  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  our  works,  and 
about  twenty  dismounted  and  came  running  for- 
ward to  pick  up  our  trail.  At  this  juncture  some 
one  of  the  men,  probably  by  accident,  discharged 
his  piece.  Instantly  the  dismounted  Indians 
threw  themselves  flat  on  the  ground,  and  the 
horsemen  galloped  off.  Of  course  we  opened  fire 
upon  them,  but  to  little  effect.  I  think  we  killed 
one  man,  but  no  more.  I  was  much  disappointed, 
as  I  felt  we  had  lost  an  opportunity  of  crippling 
62 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

them  badly.  At  daylight  they  again  took  up  the 
fight  from  their  former  position  in  ambush,  but 
as  we  were  now  fully  protected,  they  did  us  no 
particular  harm.  It  was  now  apparent  that  they 
meant  to  starve  us  out,  for  they  made  no  further 
attempts  to  attack  us  openly. 

As  this  second  day  wore  on  our  wounded 
suffered  very  much.  As  I  have  mentioned  in 
the  preceding  pages,  the  nights  in  southern  Col- 
orado during  the  month  of  September  are  really 
cold,  but  the  clear  sunny  days  are,  in  the  shel- 
tered valleys,  intensely  hot,  and  already  the 
bodies  of  the  dead  horses  lying  around  us  be- 
gan to  swell  and  decompose.  Our  surgeon  was 
senseless  and  slowly  dying,  and,  unfortunately, 
in  our  rush  for  the  island,  we  omitted  to  take 
the  medical  supplies ;  in  fact,  it  was  all  we  could 
do,  in  our  haste,  to  throw  the  boxes  containing 
our  four  thousand  extra  rounds  of  fixed  ammu- 
nition on  the  saddles  of  four  of  our  horses  and 
get  them  over  with  us.  The  surgeon,  in  the  pan- 
niers that  were  abandoned,  had  some  bandages, 
his  instruments,  a  few  simple  medicines,  and 
some  brandy;  but  these  had  fallen  into  the  en- 
emy's hands,  and  assuredly  he  had  ample  need 
of  them.  All  day  long  the  Indian  women  and 
children  kept  up  a  dismal  wailing  and  beating 
of  drums,  the  death-chant  over  their  slain  braves. 
In  the  meantime  our  men  quietly  kept  watch 
63 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

and  ward,  and  rarely  returned  the  fire  of  the  be- 
siegers unless  opportunity  offered  to  make  their 
bullets  count,  and  during  this  day  but  one  of  the 
command  was  hit,  and  the  wound  was  a  mere 
scratch,  and  as  nightfall  drew  on  I  felt  satisfied 
that  the  score  was  quite  a  long  way  in  our  favor. 
Two  more  of  my  company  were  sent  out  at  eleven 
o'clock  at  night  to  try  to  make  their  way  to  Fort 
Wallace,  but  they  found  the  Indians  guarding 
every  outlet,  and  returned  to  the  command  about 
three  the  next  morning. 

The  third  day,  fortunately ,  was  slightly  cloudy, 
and  consequently  the  wounded  had  something 
of  an  easier  time  of  it;  besides,  we  had  begun 
to  get  used  to  our  injuries.  Desultory  firing 
was  kept  up  by  both  sides  from  early  light,  but 
with  no  great  damage  to  either  side,  as  the  Ind- 
ians had  dug  out  rifle-pits  for  themselves,  and 
were  about  as  well  protected  as  we  were.  At 
mid-day  Scout  Grover  called  my  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  women  and  children,  who  had  been 
such  interested  spectators  of  the  fight  since  its 
commencement,  had  ceased  their  chanting,  and 
were  beginning  to  withdraw.  To  me  this  em- 
phasized an  idea  that  had  taken  possession  of 
my  mind  since  daylight,  viz.,  that  the  Indians 
had  about  decided  to  give  up  the  fight,  and  this 
was  still  further  confirmed  by  an  attempt  upon 
their  part  to  open  communications  with  a  white 
6a 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

flag.  This  was,  as  I  knew,  merely  an  effort  on 
their  part  to  get  near  enough  to  our  works  to  see 
the  condition  of  my  command,  consequently  I 
directed  several  men  to  warn  them,  by  waving 
their  hands  and  shouting,  not  to  attempt  to  come 
near  us.  They  understood  what  was  said  to 
them,  without  doubt,  especially  as  Grover  ad- 
dressed them  in  their  own  dialect;  but  affecting 
not  to  comprehend,  they  slowly  advanced.  I 
then  ordered  half  a  dozen  shots  sent  in  close  to 
them.  This  action  on  our  part  convinced  them 
that  their  ruse  was  useless,  so,  falling  back  out 
of  range,  their  riflemen  promptly  sent  several 
volleys  into  our  works,  probably  as  an  evidence 
of  their  appreciation  of  our  astuteness. 

During  the  day  I  took  out  my  memorandum- 
book  and  pencilled  the  following  despatch: 

On  Delaware  Creek,  Republican  River, 
September  19,  1868. 
To  Colonel  Bankhead,  or  Commanding  Officer,  Fort  Wal- 
lace 3 
I  sent  you  two  messengers  on  the  night  of  the  17th  in- 
stant, informing  you  of  my  critical  condition.     I  tried  to 
send  two  more  last  night,  but  they  did  not  succeed  in  pass- 
ing the  Indian  pickets,  and  returned.     If  the  others  have 
not   arrived,  then   hasten   at   once   to   my   assistance.     I 
have  eight  badly  wounded  and  ten  slightly  wounded  men 
to  take  in,  and  every  animal  I  had  was  killed,  save  seven, 
which  the  Indians  stampeded.     Lieutenant  Beecher  is  dead, 
and  Acting  Assistant  Surgeon  Mooers  probably  cannot  live 
the  night  out.     He  was  hit  in  the  head  Thursday,  and  has 
spoken  but  one  rational  word  since.     I  am  wounded  in 
E  65 


A   FRONTIER    FIGHT 

two  places — in  the  right  thigh,  and  my  left  leg  broken  be- 
low the  knee.  The  Cheyennes  alone  numbered  450,  or 
more.  Mr.  Grover  says  they  never  fought  so  before.  They 
were  splendidly  armed  with  Spencer  and  Henry  rifles.  We 
killed  at  least  thirty-five  of  them,  and  wounded  many  more, 
besides  killing  and  wounding  a  quantity  of  their  stock. 
They  carried  off  most  of  their  killed  during  the  night,  but 
three  of  their  men  fell  into  our  hands.  I  am  on  a  little  island, 
and  have  still  plenty  of  ammunition  left.  We  are  living 
on  mule  and  horse-meat,  and  are  entirely  out  of  rations. 
If  it  was  not  for  so  many  wounded,  I  would  come  in,  and 
take  the  chances  of  whipping  them  if  attacked.  They  are 
evidently  sick  of  their  bargain. 

I  had  two  of  the  members  of  my  company  killed  on  the 
17th,  namely,  William  Wilson  and  George  W.  Chalmers. 
You  had  better  start  with  not  less  than  seventy-five  men, 
and  bring  all  the  wagons  and  ambulances  you  can  spare. 
Bring  a  six-pound  howitzer  with  you.  I  can  hold  out  here 
for  six  days  longer  if  absolutely  necessary,  but  please  lose 
no  time. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 
George  A.  Forsyth, 
U.  S.  Army,  Commanding  Co.  Scouts. 

P.  S. — My  surgeon  having  been  mortally  wounded,  none 
of  my  wounded  men  have  had  their  wounds  dressed  yet,  so 
please  bring  out  a  surgeon  with  you. 

At  nightfall  I  confided  it  to  two  of  my  best  men 
— Donovan  and  Pliley — with  the  same  general 
instructions  I  had  given  Stillwell  two  days  pre- 
viously. Shortly  after  midnight  they  left  our 
intrenchments,  and  as  they  did  not  return,  I  felt 
satisfied  that  they  had  eluded  the  Indians  and 
were  on  their  way  to  Fort  Wallace.  On  the  fourth 
day  our  sufferings  were  intense.  It  was  very 
hot,  our  meat  had  become  putrid,  some  of  the 
66 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

wounded  were  delirious,  and  the  stench  from  the 
dead  horses  lying  close  around  us  was  almost  in- 
tolerable. As  the  ball  in  my  right  thigh  had 
begun  to  pain  me  excessively,  I  decided  to  ex- 
tract it.  I  appealed  to  several  of  the  men  to  cut 
it  out,  but  as  soon  as  they  saw  how  close  it  lay 
to  the  artery,  they  declined  doing  so,  alleging 
that  the  risk  was  too  great.  However,  I  deter- 
mined that  it  should  come  out,  as  I  feared 
sloughing,  and  then  the  artery  would  probably 
break  in  any  event;  so  taking  my  razor  from 
my  saddle-pocket,  and  getting  two  of  the  men 
to  press  the  adjacent  flesh  back  and  draw  it  taut, 
I  managed  to  cut  it  out  myself  without  disturb- 
ing the  artery,  greatly  to  my  almost  immediate 
relief.  At  dawn  of  this  day  the  Indian  riflemen 
had  sent  in  quite  a  volley,  and  at  odd  times 
kept  sending  in  shots  from  their  ambuscade; 
but  they  grew  gradually  less,  and  in  the  after- 
noon almost  ceased.  In  the  meantime  but  few 
Indians  could  be  seen  in  the  vicinity,  and  I  be- 
gan to  suspect  that  the  entire  body  was  with- 
drawing. Accordingly,  I  asked  several  of  the 
men  to  lift  me  upon  a  blanket,  as  by  this  time 
numbers  of  the  scouts  were  standing  upright, 
and  two  of  them  had  crawled  over  to  the  south 
bank  of  the  stream,  and  reported  that  there  were 
no  more  Indians  on  that  side.  Just  as  the  men 
had  lifted  me  up  that  I  might  judge  of  the  gen- 
67 


A  FRONTIER   FIGHT 

eral  condition  of  things  from  a  more  extended 
view  than  I  could  obtain  lying  upon  my  back 
in  the  rifle-pit,  about  twenty  shots  were  suddenly 
sent  in  among  us,  and  the  man  who  had  the  cor- 
ner of  the  blanket  which  supported  my  broken 
leg  dropped  it  and  took  to  cover.  The  result  was 
that  the  bone  parted  and  partially  protruded 
through  the  flesh.  To  say  that  I  was  angry  is 
hardly  doing  the  subject  justice,  and  I  fear  the 
recording  angel  had  no  easy  task  to  blot  out  the 
numerous  expletives  with  which  I  anathematized 
the  startled  scout.  This  volley,  which  did  no 
particular  harm,  was  about  the  last  sent  in  upon 
us;  there  were  a  few  more  stray  shots  sent  at 
us  now  and  then,  and  we  could  see  Indian  ve- 
dettes posted  on  the  crest  of  the  adjacent  hills; 
but  save  a  few  warriors  that  lingered  around 
in  ambush  to  watch  our  movements,  we  did  not 
again  see  any  large  force  of  the  savages. 

Up  to  this  time  I  have  said  nothing  of  the  in- 
dividual heroism  of  my  men.  It  was  worthy  of 
all  praise.  Young  Hudson  Farley,  who  was  shot 
through  the  shoulder,  fought  straight  through 
the  first  day's  fight,  never  speaking  of  his  con- 
dition until  the  list  of  casualties  was  called  for. 
Howard  Morton  lost  one  of  his  eyes  by  a  bullet 
that  lodged  just  behind  it,  but  wrapped  a  hand- 
kerchief around  his  head  and  fought  on  steadily. 
The  elder  Farley,  though  mortally  wounded, 
68 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

lay  on  one  side  and  fought  through  the  entire 
first  day's  fight.  Harrington,  with  an  arrow- 
point  lodged  squarely  in  his  frontal  bone,  never 
ceased  to  bear  his  full  share  in  the  fray,  and  when 
a  bullet  ploughed  across  his  forehead  and  dis- 
lodged the  arrow-head,  the  two  falling  together 
to  the  ground,  he  wrapped  a  rag  around  his  head 
and,  though  covered  with  blood,  fought  to  the 
very  close  of  the  three  days'  fighting.  McCall 
never  once  alluded  to  the  fact  that  he  was  wounded 
until  after  nightfall;  and  so  of  Davis,  Clarke, 
Gantt,  and  others. 

There  were,  as  a  matter  of  course,  queer  epi- 
sodes during  the  siege.  On  the  third  day  a 
large  and  very  fleshy  Indian,  having,  as  he 
thought,  placed  himself  just  out  of  range,  taunted 
and  insulted  us  in  every  possible  way.  He  was 
perfectly  naked,  and  his  gestures  especially  were 
exceedingly  exasperating.  Not  being  in  a  par- 
ticularly happy  frame  of  mind,  the  man's  actions 
annoyed  me  excessively.  Now  we  had  in  the 
command  three  Springfield  breech-loading  rifles 
which  I  knew  would  carry  several  hundred  yards 
farther  than  our  Spencer  rifles.  I  accordingly 
directed  that  the  men  using  these  guns  should 
sight  them  at  their  limit — 1200  yards — and  aim 
well  over  the  sight,  and  see  if  by  some  chance  we 
might  not  stop  the  antics  of  this  outrageously  in- 
sulting savage.  At  the  crack  of  the  three  rifles  he 
69 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

sprang  into  the  air  with  a  yell  of  seemingly  both 
surprise  and  anguish,  and  rolled  over  stone 
dead,  while  the  Indians  in  his  vicinity  scattered 
in  every  direction,  and  this  almost  unexpected 
result  of  our  small  volley  was  a  matter  of  intense 
satisfaction  to  all  of  us. 

And  now  came  a  time  of  weary  waiting  and 
comparative  inaction  that  was  hard  to  bear, 
and  under  our  peculiar  circumstances  wellnigh 
intolerable.  We  were  out  of  food  of  any  kind; 
the  meat  cut  from  the  dead  mules  and  horses 
had  become  putrid,  and  although  we  boiled  it 
and  sprinkled  gunpowder  upon  it,  it  was  not 
palatable.  One  of  the  scouts  succeeded  in  shoot- 
ing a  little  coyote,  and  not  long  ago  one  of  my 
men  told  me  that  the  head  of  that  little  gray 
wolf  was  boiled  three  successive  times  to  extract 
the  last  shred  of  nutriment  it  contained.  On 
the  fifth  or  sixth  day  two  of  the  command 
quietly  stole  away  down  the  stream  in  the  hope 
that  they  might  possibly  get  a  shot  at  some 
game,  but  their  quest  was  in  vain.  However, 
they  did  find  a  few  wild  plums.  These  they 
brought  back,  boiled,  and  gave  to  the  wounded, 
and  I  know  that  the  few  spoonfuls  I  received 
was  by  far  the  most  delicious  food  that  ever 
passed  my  lips.  As  the  days  wore  on  the  wound- 
ed became  feverish,  and  some  of  them  delirious, 
gangrene  set  in,  and  I  was  distressed  to  find  the 
70 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

wound  in  my  leg  infested  with  maggots.  The 
well  men,  however,  did  all  they  could  for  us,  and 
we  tried  to  keep  up  our  spirits  as  best  we  might. 
On  the  evening  of  the  sixth  day  I  called  the 
sound  men  around  me,  and  in  a  few  words  stated 
the  facts  in  the  case  as  they  knew  them.  I  told 
them  that  possibly  the  scouts  who  had  been  sent 
out  from  the  command  had  failed  to  get  through, 
and  that  we  might  not  get  the  succor  we  hoped 
for.  Furthermore,  I  thought  that  by  moving  out 
at  night  and  keeping  together  they  could  make 
Fort  Wallace,  and,  even  if  attacked,  they  had 
plenty  of  ammunition  with  which  to  defend  them- 
selves, and  I  believed  that  no  ordinary  scouting 
party  of  Indians  would  dare  to  attack  them  after 
their  recent  experience  with  us ;  furthermore,  I 
did  not  believe  that  any  Indians,  other  than  those 
whom  we  had  fought,  were  in  our  vicinity,  and 
I  doubted  if  those  who  might  still  be  watching 
us  were  in  any  great  numbers.  Those  of  us  who 
were  wounded  must  take  our  chances.  If  relief 
came  in  time,  well  and  good ;  if  not,  we  were  sol- 
diers, and  knew  how  to  meet  our  fate.  For  a  few 
seconds  there  was  a  dead  silence,  and  then  rose 
a  hoarse  cry  of  *  Never!  never!  We'll  stand  by 
you,  General,  to  the  end!"  and  McCall  voiced  the 
sentiment  of  the  men  by  saying,  "  We've  fought 
together,  and,  by  heaven,  if  need  be,  we'll  die  to- 
gether!" The  next  two  days  seem  to  me  to  have 
71 


A  FRONTIER  FIGHT 

been  almost  interminable.  The  well  men  of  the 
command  moved  up  and  down  the  stream  within 
sight  of  our  earthworks,  seeking,  but  not  finding, 
game ;  at  night  the  crests  of  the  hills  were  dotted 
with  wolves,  who,  attracted  by  the  carrion,  yet 
not  daring  to  come  within  range  of  our  rifles,  sat 
up  on  their  haunches  and  howled  the  night 
through;  and  during  the  day  the  sun  beat  down 
upon  our  devoted  heads  with  a  strength  that  I 
had  not  deemed  possible  in  that  latitude  during 
the  month  of  September.  On  the  morning  of  the 
ninth  day  since  the  attack  by  the  Indians  one  of 
the  men  near  me  suddenly  sprang  to  his  feet  and, 
shading  his  eyes  with  his  hand,  shouted,  "  There 
are  some  moving  objects  on  the  far  hills!"  In- 
stantly every  man  who  could  stand  was  on  his 
feet  gazing  intensely  in  the  direction  indicated. 
In  a  few  moments  a  general  murmur  ran  through 
the  command.  "By  the  God  above  us,  it's  an 
ambulance!"  shouts  one  of  the  men;  and  then 
went  up  a  wild  cheer  that  made  the  little  valley 
ring,  and  strong  men  grasped  hands,  and  then 
flung  their  arms  around  each  other,  and  laughed 
and  cried,  and  fairly  danced  and  shouted  again 
in  glad  relief  of  their  long-pent-up  feelings.  It 
was  a  troop  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  under  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel L.  H.  Carpenter,  the  advance  of  Colo- 
nel Bankhead's  command  from  Fort  Wallace, 
which  that  officer  had  fairly  hurled  forward  as 
72 


THE    RESCUE 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

soon  as  news  of  our  situation  reached  him 
through  Donovan  and  Pliley.  An  hour  later  he 
was  at  my  side  with  his  infantry,  and  in  less 
than  another  hour  Colonel  Brisbin,  of  the  Second 
Cavalry,  was  there  with  the  advance  of  General 
Bradley's  command,  which  had  also  hurried  to 
my  aid. 

When  Colonel  Carpenter  rode  up  to  me,  as  I 
lay  half  covered  with  sand  in  my  rifle-pit,  I  af- 
fected to  be  reading  an  old  novel  that  one  of  the 
men  had  found  in  a  saddle-pocket.  It  was  only 
affectation,  though  for  I  had  all  I  could  do  to 
keep  from  breaking  down,  as  I  was  sore  and 
feverish  and  tired  and  hungry,  and  I  had  been 
under  a  heavy  strain  from  the  opening  of  the 
fight  until  his  arrival. 

During  the  fight  I  counted  thirty-two  dead 
Indians;  these  I  reported  officially.  My  men 
claimed  to  have  counted  far  more,  but  these  were 
all  that  I  saw  lying  dead,  and  I  have  made  it  a 
rule  never  to  report  a  dead  Indian  I  have  not 
seen  myself.  The  troops  who  came  to  my  rescue 
unearthed  many  a  one,  and  several  years  later 
I  met  one  of  the  younger  chiefs  of  the  Brule- 
Sioux  at  a  grand  buffalo-hunt  given  by  General 
Sheridan  to  the  Grand  Duke  Alexis  of  Russia. 
It  was  a  superb  affair,  and  a  large  number  of 
Indians  participated  in  it,  and  afterwards  gave 
a  war-dance  for  the  entertainment  of  the  distin- 
73 


A   FRONTIER   FIGHT 

guished  guest.  One  evening  one  of  the  govern- 
ment scouts  asked  me  if  I  would  see  this  young 
chief,  a  man  of  about  twenty-seven  or  twenty- 
eight  years,  who  wished  to  talk  with  me  about 
the  fight  on  the  Republican.  We  had  a  long, 
and  to  me,  at  least,  an  interesting,  conversation 
over  the  affair.  He  asked  me  how  many  men 
I  had,  and  I  told  him,  and  gave  him  a  true  ac- 
count of  those  killed  and  wounded  and  I  saw 
that  he  was  much  pleased.  He  told  the  interpre- 
ter that  I  told  the  truth,  as  he  had  counted  my 
men  himself;  that  for  four  days  they  had  been 
watching  my  every  movement,  gathering  their 
warriors  to  meet  us  from  far  and  near,  and  that 
I  stopped  and  encamped  about  two  miles  below 
where  they  lay  in  ambush  for  me.  He  said  that 
had  I  continued  my  march  for  another  hour  the 
day  I  encamped  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
every  man  of  us  would  have  been  slaughtered. 
My  occupation  of  the  island  was  a  surprise  to 
them  all,  and  it  was  the  only  thing  that  saved  us. 
I  then  questioned  him  regarding  their  numbers 
and  losses.  He  hesitated  for  some  time,  but 
finally  told  the  interpreter  something,  and  the 
interpreter  told  me  that  there  were  nearly  a  thou- 
sand Indian  warriors  in  the  fight.  He  said  he 
thought  the  number  about  nine  hundred  and 
seventy.  Regarding  their  losses,  the  chief  held 
up  his  two  hands  seven  times  together,  and  then 

74 


A   FRONTIER    FIGHT 

one  hand  singly,  which,  the  interpreter  told  me, 
signified  seventy-five.  I  asked  the  interpreter  if 
that  meant  killed  and  wounded.  "That,"  said 
the  interpreter,  "  signifies  the  killed  only.  He 
says  there  were  'heaps'  wounded."  Just  as 
he  started  to  go  he  stopped  and  spoke  to  the  in- 
terpreter again.  "He  wishes  to  know  whether 
you  did  not  get  enough  of  it,"  said  the  interpreter. 

"  Tell  him  yes,  all  I  wanted,"  was  my  reply. 
"How  about  himself?" 

As  my  words  were  interpreted  he  gave  a  grim, 
half-humorous  look,  and  then,  unfolding  his 
blanket  and  opening  the  breast  of  his  buckskin 
shirt,  pointed  to,  where  a  bullet  had  evidently 
gone  through  his  lungs,  nodded,  closed  his  shirt, 
wrapped  his  blanket  around  him,  turned  and 
stalked  quietly  from  the  tent. 


AN    APACHE    RAID 


AN    APACHE    RAID 

TN  the  spring  of  1882  I  was  in  command  of  six 
troops  of  the  Fourth  United  States  Cavalry 
in  the  field,  on  the  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad,  between  the  stations  of  Separ  and 
Lordsburg,  in  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico. 

Word  had  come  to  us  that  the  renegade  Apaches 
in  Mexico  were  known  to  be  contemplating  a 
movement  that  might,  and  probably  would,  event- 
uate in  their  trying  to  enter  the  Apache  Reserva- 
tion at  San  Carlos,  Arizona,  and  compel  the  res- 
ervation Indians  to  break  out  and  go  back  to 
Mexico  with  them.  This  the  authorities  wished 
to  prevent;  consequently  we  lay  close  to  the 
border-line  and  kept  watch  and  ward  along  the 
Mexican  frontier  as  well  as  we  were  able,  for  it 
is  a  line  of  country  easily  crossed,  and  there  is 
no  difficulty  in  a  lone  Indian  scout  keeping  an 
eye  on  an  organized  force,  unseen  by  it,  and  at 
night  hurrying  back  to  warn  his  war-party  to 
ware  danger;  and  the  Apaches  are  all  good 
scouts,  and,  as  past  masters  in  the  art  of  decep- 
tion, something  more.     For  some  years  prior  to 

79 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

the  date  of  which  I  write  the  White  Mountain 
Apaches  had  been  waging  a  desultory  but  bloody 
warfare  upon  the  ranchmen  of  the  territories  of 
New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  and  so  many  times 
had  they  apparently  accepted  peace,  only  to 
break  out  again  into  open  hostilities  at  the  first 
favorable  opportunity,  that  the  exasperated 
settlers  almost  unanimously  demanded  their 
extermination ;  and  from  their  stand-point  much 
could  have  been  said  to  justify  such  an  extreme 
measure.  Cruel,  crafty,  wary,  quick  to  scent 
danger,  equally  active  to  discover  a  weak  or  ex- 
posed place  within  his  reach,  tireless  when  pur- 
sued, patient  in  defeat,  and  merciless  in  success, 
always  seeking  the  maximum  of  gain  at  the  mini- 
mum of  risk,  the  Apache  was  well-named  by 
the  late  General  George  Crook  *  the  tiger  of  the 
human  species." 

Reckless  to  temerity  in  pursuit  of  a  flying  foe, 
should  his  enemy  turn  at  bay,  his  pursuer  in- 
stantly sought  cover,  and  took  no  unavoidable 
risk  for  glory's  sake.  Yet,  when  finally  driven 
to  bay  himself,  he  gave  no  evidence  of  fear,  and 
dying  like  a  warrior,  only  ceased  fighting  at  his 
last  gasp. 

An  Apache,  once  having  shed  the  blood  of  a 

white  man,  whether  in  battle,   in  a  foray  against 

the  ranchers,  the  capture  of  a  stage-coach  or 

freighters'  train,  or  by  the  cowardly  murder  of 

80 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

some  lone  prospecting  miner,  seemed  to  develop 
an  unquenchable  desire  for  rapine  and  murder, 
and  thenceforward  grew  moody,  restless,  and 
uneasy  within  the  limits  of  his  reservation,  and 
sooner  or  later  disappeared  from  it  and  joined 
the  renegades  who,  in  the  times  I  write  of,  roamed 
at  will  among  the  rugged  fastnesses  of  the  Si- 
erra Madre  Mountains  from  twenty  to  fifty  miles 
within  the  borders  of  old  Mexico.  This  range 
of  mountains  varies  in  width  from  forty  to  one 
hundred  and  sixty  miles,  and  in  places  is  al- 
most entirely  uninhabited.  From  the  compara- 
tive safety  of  this  vantage-ground  the  renegade 
Apaches  patiently  waited  an  opportune  moment 
to  move  quietly  up  to  our  line,  avoiding  the  few 
Mexican  mountain  towns  and  outlying  ranches 
and  well-known  trails,  rarely  or  never  following 
or  even  crossing  a  beaten  path,  but  creeping 
through  the  unsettled  stretches  of  the  mountains 
and  traversing  the  intervening  valleys  at  night, 
concealed  themselves  well  up  in  some  canon  in 
the  mountains  within  striking  distance  of  the 
border,  and  lay  concealed,  resting,  and  waiting 
the  return  and  report  of  their  individual  scouts ; 
then,  crossing  our  border  at  night,  they  halted 
in  some  unfrequented  spot  until  early  dawn, 
when,  stealing  closely  down  to  some  lone  ranch, 
they  lay  in  ambush  until  the  ranchmen  rode  out 
upon  the  range,  suddenly  shot  them  down,  raid- 
F  81 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

ed  the  house,  outraging  and  killing  its  inmates, 
plundered  it  of  fire-arms  and  whatever  else  took 
their  fancy,  and  then  rode  rapidly  on  to  repeat 
the  same  scenes  of  plunder,  outrage,  and  pillage 
at  other  outlying  ranches  along  the  route  that 
they  had  previously  marked  out,  leaving  a  bloody 
trail  of  dead  men,  women,  and  children  to  mark 
their  course.  They  rarely  spent  more  than  one 
night  within  our  borders,  and  it  has  happened 
that  even  before  word  reached  the  border  settle- 
ments or  frontier  army  posts  they  were  already 
across  the  line  back  in  old  Mexico,  and  safe  in 
their  mountain  eyrie,  the  only  evidence  of  their 
work  being  the  scenes  of  blood  and  desolation 
they  left  behind  them.  Is  it  to  be  wondered  at 
that  the  frontiersmen  were  bitter? 

On  the  2 1st  of  April  a  telegram  advised  me  that 
the  renegade  Apaches  had  appeared  on  the  San 
Carlos  Reservation,  killed  several  whites,  in- 
cluding the  chief  of  the  Indian  police — a  splen- 
did young  fellow  named  Sterling,  who  was  fas- 
cinated with  Indian  life,  and  who  had  for  some 
time  been  in  command  of  a  body  of  friendly 
Apache  scouts — carried  off  Chief  Loco's  entire 
band,  including  the  women  and  children,  and 
having  been  joined  by  a  number  of  the  Chirica- 
hua  Apaches,  had  started  back  for  Mexico.  It 
was  impossible  to  determine  with  accuracy  the 
route  they  would  take ;  but  as  the  whole  country 
82 


AN    APACHE    RAID 

was  at  this  time  unusually  dry,  many  of  the 
springs  and  water  -  holes  having  dried  up,  I 
thought  it  probable  that  they  would  follow  the 
trend  of  the  watercourses  that  would  bring  them 
nearest  to  the  Mexican  border,  so  I  concluded  that 
they  would  make  for  the  Gila  River,  somewhere 
beyond  the  Steins  Pass  range  of  mountains,  and 
try  to  get  back  that  way.  Before  I  had  left  my 
post,  Fort  Cummings,  New  Mexico,  I  had  sent 
the  Indian  scouts  stationed  there  out  on  a  scout 
through  the  Hatchet  Mountains,  under  Lieuten- 
ant C.  S.  Hall,  of  the  Thirteenth  Infantry,  and 
I  at  once  sent  the  above  information  to  him,  or- 
dering him  to  join  me  in  the  field  immediately. 
At  Lordsburg  I  had  a  telegram  from  him,  and  re- 
plied to  it  by  ordering  him  to  join  me  at  Rich- 
mond, on  the  Gila  River,  scouting  the  Burro 
Mountains  en  route. 

I  had  gone  to  Lordsburg  as  soon  as  I  could 
after  receiving  notice  that  the  Apaches  had  been 
at  San  Carlos,  and  from  there  moved  at  once  to 
Steins  Pass  range.  Our  Indian  scouts  could  not 
find  any  trace  of  a  recent  Indian  trail,  so  I  con- 
cluded that  they  had  not  come  up  that  way  from 
Mexico.  Knowing  that  there  was  not  any  water 
to  be  had  at  Steins  Pass,  I  had  directed  a  tank- 
car  of  water  to  be  sent  to  the  station  there  from 
San  Simon  station.  We  camped  there  on  the 
night  of  the  22d,  and  made  a  dry  camp.  At  3.20 
83 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

A.M.  on  the  23d  we  fed  and  groomed,  and  at  four 
o'clock  the  welcome  tank-car  reached  us,  and  the 
horses  of  the  entire  command  were  watered  from 
camp-kettles — slow  work,  especially  as  the  tank 
had  only  two  faucets  that  could  be  used.  Before 
six  o'clock  we  started  for  Richmond,  moving 
down  into  the  plain  and  cutting  directly  across  it, 
heading  for  the  Richmond  road.  Before  starting  I 
ordered  Lieutenant  D.  N.  McDonald,  of  the  Fourth 
Cavalry,  to  take  six  of  the  mounted  scouts  who 
had  come  from  Fort  Craig,  New  Mexico,  and  two 
enlisted  men,  and  try  to  cut  any  Indian  trails  he 
might  find  along  the  southeastern  end  of  Steins 
Pass  range.  At  his  especial  request,  I  dis- 
mounted one  of  the  other  scouts  and  gave  him 
our  most  reliable  Apache  scout,  Yuma  Bill,  who 
spoke  English  very  well,  and  was  an  unusually 
fine  Indian,  and  I  also  sent  our  six  dismounted 
scouts  along  the  base  of  the  same  range,  but 
further  out  among  the  foot-hills. 

We  had  gone  about  three  miles  on  our  way, 
when  Lieutenant  McDonald  sent  word  that  he  had 
struck  a  trail,  twelve  hours  old,  of  ten  dismounted 
Indians  going  in  our  direction,  that  is,  towards 
the  Gila  River.  I  at  once  determined  in  my  own 
mind  that  this  was  a  party  of  renegades  going 
up  to  help  their  comrades  back  to  Mexico.  It 
was  an  error  on  my  part,  for  which  I  was  after- 
wards heartily  sorry.  An  hour  later  and  I  had 
84 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

another  despatch  stating  that  fifteen  more  Ind- 
ians had  come  in  on  the  trail,  having  with  them 
one  mule  and  two  horses,  and  were  still  tending 
northward.  I  sent  two  enlisted  men  back  with 
his  messenger,  and  continued  my  march.  It  was 
an  intensely  hot  day,  and  the  sun  beat  fiercely 
down,  while  the  plain  was  baked  to  a  thin  crust 
everywhere.  McDonald  had  turned  the  southern 
end  of  the  pass,  and  was  moving  northwesterly 
along  the  base  of  the  range,  and  the  command 
was  probably  sixteen  miles  away,  when  a  half- 
suppressed  shout  ran  up  from  the  rear  of  the 
column,  and  turning  my  head,  I  saw  one  of  the 
Indian  scouts,  still  nearly  a  mile  away,  riding  at 
full  speed  for  our  column,  lashing  his  horse  at 
every  stride  and  digging  his  heels  into  his  sides 
with  desperate  energy,  his  long  black  hair  wav- 
ing wildly  behind  him,  as  he  came  towards  us. 
In  a  moment  more  he  had  by  words  and  signs  told 
his  tale.  Lieutenant  McDonald  had  been  am- 
bushed, Yuma  Bill  and  three  of  the  other  scouts 
killed,  and  McDonald  and  his  remaining  men 
were  in  a  rocky  place  trying  to  stand  off  a  large 
body  of  Chiricahua  Apaches.  Instantly  the  bu- 
gles rang  out,  "  Left  turn,  trot/'  and  a  few  sec- 
onds later,  "Gallop,"  and  the  command  was  speed- 
ing to  the  rescue. 

As  I  have  said,  it  was  stiflingly  hot.     The  sand 
of  the  plain,  wet  months  before  by  a  winter  rain, 
85 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

had  caked,  and  was  crusted  for  an  inch  or  so, 
and  the  stride  of  the  horses  broke  it  to  bits  as  we 
swept  over  it.  Each  one  of  the  troop  commanders 
had  turned  on  his  own  ground,  so  that  we  were 
galloping  en  echelon,  and  the  sand  rose  up  in 
clouds  as  we  passed.  Once  one  of  my  lieuten- 
ants, Mason,  put  his  hand  on  my  arm,  saying, 
"  Our  horses  can  never  live  at  this  pace."  "  They 
must  live  till  we  reach  McDonald,"  was  my  reply  ; 
but  I  had  little  fear.  The  Fourth  Cavalry  mount 
was  a  splendid  one,  and  the  horses  ever  so  fit 
and  hard  as  nails  for  the  work.  It  was  a  sixteen- 
mile  gallop  through  sand  and  mesquite-bushes 
and  little  arroyas,  and  now  and  then  over  a 
stretch  of  stones  washed  from  the  mountains, 
rough  and  hot  and  fearfully  dusty,  and  I  doubt 
if  those  who  swept  across  the  Gila  River  plain  into 
the  foot-hills  of  Steins  Pass  range  ever  forget  it. 
As  we  neared  the  base  of  the  range  we  heard  sev- 
eral shots,  and  glancing  up,  we  saw  Lieutenant 
McDonald  riding  along  on  the  crest  of  one  of  the 
outlying  spurs  of  the  pass,  waving  his  carbine 
as  he  came  towards  us.  A  hearty  cheer  broke 
from  the  command,  for  McDonald  was  a  popular 
officer.  I  am  now  going  to  let  him  tell  the  story 
of  the  ambuscade  almost  in  his  own  words,  as 
he  has  kindly  written  out  his  experience  on  that 
occasion,  and  I  can  add  nothing  that  is  of  so 
much  interest  as  the  bare  facts. 
86 


AN   APACHE    RAID 
Lieutenant  McDonald's  Story 

I  was  ordered  to  take  my  six  Apache  scouts, 
including  Yuma  Bill,  who  was  given  me  at  my 
especial  request,  together  with  a  corporal  from 
my  own  troop,  strike  directly  into  the  mountains, 
and  search  for  a  fresh  trail  of  the  hostiles,  while 
the  main  command  pushed  out  of  the  foot-hills 
and  across  the  plain  toward  Richmond,  a  little 
settlement  on  the  Gila  River.  Risk  of  the  few  for 
the  good  of  the  many  in  the  military  service  is 
good  for  the  many,  but  occasionally  tough  on 
the  few.  However,  we  struck  into  the  heart  of 
the  range  almost  due  north,  and  soon  discovered 
the  old  Indian  trail.  It  ran  through  the  heaviest 
part  of  the  mountains,  passing  over  terribly 
rough  places  and  through  narrow  gorges,  where 
the  chances  for  an  ambuscade  were  so  great  that 
I  experienced  considerable  difficulty  in  compelling 
the  scouts  to  go  forward.  I  changed  the  usual 
Indian  tactics  of  following  trail  in  file  to  send- 
ing one  Indian,  Yuma  Bill,  ahead,  and  scat- 
tering the  rest  right  and  left  about  one  hundred 
yards  apart,  while  I  rode  within  a  few  yards  of 
Bill,  watching  them  all,  and  indicating  to  the 
flankers,  when  the  trail  led  into  a  particularly 
dangerous  place,  to  sweep  out  around  and  try  to 
look  in  behind  the  position  as  far  as  possible  to 
discover  if  an  ambuscade  were  laid.     All  such 

87 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

movements  were  made  at  the  best  gait  possible, 
considering  the  rough  and  rugged  country  we 
were  passing  over,  and  wherever  we  could  do 
so  we  advanced  rapidly  from  cover  to  cover,  so 
as  to  lessen  the  danger  of  being  hit  by  the  bullet 
of  any  lurking  foe. 

Our  manner  of  advance  had  been  determined 
after  a  thorough  consultation,  and  I  had  im- 
pressed it  on  the  minds  of  the  Indian  scouts  that 
my  way  was  better  than  their  own,  as  it  was  now 
nearly  impossible  for  the  Apaches  to  conceal 
themselves  so  as  entirely  to  cover  our  approach 
and  pick  off  more  than  one  or  two  of  our  party, 
while,  on  the  contrary,  if  we  kept  pretty  well 
bunched  they  might  get  all  of  us.  After  we  had 
gone  some  twelve  miles  on  the  trail  we  found  a 
transverse  ridge  lying  across  the  pathway,  which 
ridge  rose  to  a  considerable  height,  and  was 
capped  with  a  rock  palisade  extending  as  far  as 
we  could  see  to  the  right  and  left,  and  this  effectu- 
ally cut  off  all  flanking  movements ;  but  the  trail 
at  our  front  and  centre  ran  through  a  gradually 
deepening  and  narrowing  gorge  between  solid 
rock,  until  at  the  upper  end  the  sides  were  quite 
high.  Just  beyond  the  top  there  floated  the 
faintest,  thinnest  mist  of  smoke  in  the  atmos- 
phere, which  would  not  be  noticed  by  a  tenderfoot, 
and  which  I  could  barely  distinguish  even  when 
my  eagle-eyed  scouts  had  called  my  attention  to  it. 
88 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

Yuma  Bill  and  those  nearest  us  said  that  the 
Apaches  were  up  there  in  an  ambuscade  that 
they  had  laid  for  us;  that  there  was  no  doubt 
about  it ;  that  a  band  of  them  had  camped  and 
cooked  there  the  night  before,  and,  on  our  ap- 
proach being  discovered,  they  put  out  and  cov- 
ered their  fires,  but  had  left  a  few  faint  indica- 
tions behind  them.  It  was  not  possible  for  us 
to  get  a  view  in  behind  their  supposed  position 
by  the  use  of  our  flanking  scouts,  so  the  only 
approach  was  the  narrow  defile  in  front  through 
which  the  trail  led,  and  to  follow  it  probably 
meant  death  to  some  of  us,  as  the  hostiles  were 
supposed  to  be  lying  to  the  right  and  left  of  it  on 
top  of  the  high  rocks,  and  would  let  us  pass  in 
and  enclose  us  on  all  sides  before  opening  fire. 

To  my  order  to  go  on,  and  explanation  that  a 
soldier  had  to  risk  his  life  if  necessary  to  carry  out 
his  orders,  they  most  solemnly  demurred ;  neither 
would  any  single  one  consent  to  go  through 
and  develop  the  position  on  my  promise  to  make 
all  available  dispositions  to  cover  his  retreat 
should  he  discover  the  enemy's  position  without 
being  killed.  I  had  sent  off  my  corporal  with  a 
despatch,  and  he  had  not  yet  returned,  so  I  was 
alone  with  the  six  Indians ;  and  as  neither  force 
nor  persuasion  would  avail,  I  finally  taunted 
them  as  cowards  and  squaws,  telling  them  that 
if  they  dared  not  go,  their  commander  would, 

89 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

and  that  he,  for  one,  was  not  afraid  of  the  Chiri- 
cahua  Apaches.  It  being  evident  that  a  man 
would  have  no  chance  mounted,  I  dismounted 
and  gave  my  bridle-rein  to  one  of  the  scouts,  and 
instructed  them  to  watch  and  give  me  what  pro- 
tection they  could  ;  but  if  I  was  killed,  or  so  badly 
wounded  as  to  be  unable  to  get  back  to  them,  to 
keep  together  and  defend  themselves,  and  work 
back  to  the  cavalry  command.  After  most  care- 
fully examining  my  arms,  with  my  carbine  in 
hand,  cocked  and  ready  to  fire  at  a  flash,  with  a 
great  show  of  boldness  I  struck  out  on  the  trail, 
indulging  in  a  little  parting  bravado  that  I  could 
whip  the  whole  Apache  tribe. 

Advancing  into  the  defile,  I  soon  lost  sight  of 
the  scouts,  and  as  I  approached  the  summit, 
only  a  few  yards  at  most  could  be  seen  either  to 
the  front  or  rear,  as  the  trail  ran  through  a  deep 
and  narrow  passage  with  many  turns  and  angles. 
Constantly  expecting  to  hear  the  sharp  crack  of 
a  rifle,  I  tried  to  see  in  front,  behind,  and  above, 
lest  a  hideous  Apache  should  quietly  poke  his 
gun  over  the  edge  of  the  chasm  and  shoot  me  in 
the  back.  So,  with  every  nerve  strained  to  the 
utmost  tension,  I  cautiously  crept  from  angle  to 
angle,  crowding  in  against  one  side  to  avoid  a 
downward  shot,  yet  frequently  glancing  at  the 
top  of  the  opposite  side  of  the  defile  to  see  if  the 
muzzle  of  a  gun  or  an  ugly  Apache  face  might 
90 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

show  in  that  direction.  Finally,  reaching  a 
point  only  a  few  feet  from  the  mouth  of  the  pas- 
sage, I  took  shelter  behind  a  projecting  angle 
and  peeped  through  the  mouth  or  doorway,  real- 
izing that  the  passage  ended  abruptly  at  the  end 
of  the  perpendicular  walls,  and  that  just  beyond 
was  a  pretty  little  circular  opening  with  a  nearly 
smooth  floor,  walled  in  in  every  direction,  the 
rocks  decreasing  in  height  as  they  approached 
the  further  side,  finally  falling  away  and  leav- 
ing an  open  passage  out  right  opposite  my  posi- 
tion. I  could  also  see  scattered  about  this  cir- 
cular basin  several  small  mounds  of  ashes,  show- 
ing where  the  Indian  camp-fires  had  been.  At 
this  moment  I  was  startled  by  the  cracking  of  a 
twig  under  foot  to  the  rear.  Whirling  instantly 
with  cocked  carbine,  I  saw  Yuma  Bill,  his  hand 
upheld  in  warning,  who  had  become  ashamed 
and  followed  me  on  the  trail. 

He  advanced  cautiously,  furtively  glancing 
around  hi  every  direction,  closed  in  behind  me 
and  took  a  look  at  the  little  basin,  and  said,  be- 
low his  breath,  "  Apache  there ;  want  you  to 
come  out."  Whispering,  "  Be  ready  to  shoot, 
Bill ;  I  see  if  Apache  here,"  I  quickly  crossed  the 
space  to  the  mouth  of  the  defile,  and  then  thrust- 
ing my  head  forward,  1  took  one  sweeping  glance 
around.  A  few  heaps  of  ashes,  some  Indian 
belongings  used  in  camping  scattered  among 
9i 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

the  surrounding  rocks — that  was  all.  Bill  came 
across  to  where  I  was,  and  I  then  stepped  out 
several  paces  into  the  open,  watching  for  a  sign 
of  the  enemy.  None  appeared.  In  a  moment 
I  said,  *  Bill,  me  no  believe  Apache  here."  He 
sprang  up  on  a  projecting  ledge,  and  looking 
across  the  open,  said  :  "  Yes,  no  Apache  here — 
him  gone.  I  see  him  trail  go  over  there."  An 
examination  gave  us  a  plain  view  of  the  trail 
going  out  of  this  basin,  and  with  the  eye  we  could 
follow  it  nearly  a  mile  ahead,  showing  a  different 
color  in  that  soil,  so  unused  to  the  footsteps  of 
men.  Examining  the  ground  in  the  vicinity, 
Bill  told  me  that  the  Apaches  had  lain  in  am- 
bush here,  but  seeing  the  smoke  from  their  camp- 
fires  still  hung  over  the  place,  had  abandoned  it. 
Resuming  our  march,  we  followed  the  trail 
with  flankers  out  as  at  first ;  within  three  miles, 
however,  it  grew  larger  by  the  addition  of  other 
Indians,  and  my  scouts  grew  frightened  and 
difficult  to  handle.  The  two  Mojave  Indians, 
especially  the  old  one,  Moh-kay-nay-hah  (Moun- 
tain-deer Killer),  were  stampeded,  and  had  such 
an  influence  over  the  younger  one,  Quay-day- 
lay-thay-go  (Blood),  that  they  lingered  behind, 
and  were  of  no  use.  It  occurred  to  me,  though, 
that  in  case  we  were  attacked  they  would  prob- 
ably go  back  to  the  cavalry  and  give  the  alarm. 
On  reaching  the  top  of  the  first  high  ridge  on 
92 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

the  eastern  side  of  the  range  we  could  distinguish 
the  trail  for  a  considerable  distance.  It  seemed 
to  lead  down  the  mountain-side  towards  the  foot- 
hills, as  if  tending  towards  the  great  Gila  Plain, 
in  a  northeasterly  direction,  where  we  could  see 
the  line  of  the  Gila  River  as  it  flowed  down  from 
the  mountains  in  New  Mexico  into  Arizona. 
Turning  to  Bill,  I  said :  "  Bill,  Apaches  cross 
plain  to  Gila  River  to  kill  people  in  settlements!" 
"  Me  think  so,  too,"  was  the  reply. 

Just  after  we  entered  the  foot-hills,  on  the 
line  of  the  trail,  we  came  upon  two  mining  pros- 
pectors with  their  burros.  To  say  that  they 
were  abject  cowards  and  frightened  almost  out 
their  senses  would  not  convey  any  idea  of  their 
condition.  These  two  men  ran  around  in  a  small 
circle,  with  their  hands,  jaws,  and  apparently 
the  very  skin  on  their  bodies  shaking  and  quiver- 
ing, the  guns  in  their  hands  oscillating  to  and 
fro  like  the  hands  of  a  palsied  person.  Perspira- 
tion in  huge  drops  ran  down  their  faces,  hair,  and 
beard,  and  they  were  utterly  incapable  of  making 
the  very  slightest  defence.  Although  I  stood  be- 
fore them  in  my  uniform  and  spoke  to  them,  tell- 
ing them  who  we  were,  it  was  several  moments 
before  they  seemed  to  realize  they  were  not  to  be 
massacred.  Finally  I  gave  them  a  savage  tongue- 
lashing  that  brought  them  to  somewhat,  but  I 
could  get  no  information  from  them,  and  telling 
93 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

them  that  there  were  hostiles  about,  ordered  them 
to  pack  up  and  go  to  Lordsburg,  and  stay  there 
until  the  Indian  troubles  were  over.  This  species 
of  dementia  from  fear  is  not  particularly  new.  I 
had  seen  it  once  before  in  one  of  my  own  ser- 
geants, who  on  other  occasions  had  shown  himself 
a  brave  man,  and  I  was  destined  to  see  it  again 
before  nightfall. 

Going  back  to  my  scouts,  who  were  laughing, 
Yuma  Bill  said,  *  White  man  heap  scared ;  no 
catchum  news!"  "  No,  Bill,  no  catchum  news; 
let's  go  catchum  trail."  But,  naturally,  instead 
of  going  back  to  the  spot  where  we  had  left  the 
trail,  and  where  the  two  Mojave  scouts  were 
sitting  on  their  horses,  we  moved  obliquely  to 
the  front  to  cut  it — myself,  Bill,  and  the  three 
other  Yumas  in  front ;  the  corporal,  who  had  re- 
joined me,  following  on  behind,  the  two  Mojaves 
keeping  their  old  position  in  the  rear.  Not  cut- 
ting the  trail  as  soon  as  we  expected,  Bill  said 
that  the  Indians  must  have  turned  back  into  the 
mountains,  and  pointing  to  a  great  rock,  several 
hundred  feet  in  length,  that  lay  at  the  base  of  a 
mountain  spur  at  our  left  front,  said  that  we 
would  pick  up  the  trail  somewhere  between  us 
and  that  rock.  I  was  much  inclined  to  approach 
the  rock  in  our  former  way,  with  flankers  out  to 
try  and  see  behind  it,  but  fearing  that  the  scouts 
might  doubt  my  courage  from  such  precautions 
94 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

in  that  locality,  and  my  experience  with  Indians 
having  taught  me  that  no  leader  whose  courage 
was  doubted  in  the  least  could  have  any  influence 
over  them,  and  having  spent  years  with  them, 
studying  their  habits,  customs,  and  language,  I 
thoroughly  comprehended  the  importance  of  not 
seeming  to  fear  anything  whatever ;  so  I  aban- 
doned the  idea,  and,  against  my  best  intuitions, 
we  rode  along  grouped  together,  Yuma  Bill  on 
my  right,  the  other  three  on  my  left,  with  the 
corporal  in  our  rear.  The  trail  was  so  obscure 
that  we  were  only  a  few  feet  from  the  rock  when 
Bill  pointed  it  out  as  it  skirted  its  base  and 
abruptly  rounded  its  end,  and  then,  immediately 
looking  to  the  right  behind  the  eastward  end  of 
the  rock,  he  called  out,  "  Two  Indians,"  pointing 
towards  them.  We  all  saw  them ;  and  then,  in 
compliance  with  my  instructions  that  in  case  any 
one  saw  the  hostiles  he  was  instantly  to  drop 
back  out  of  sight,  but  not  to  fire — signalling  the 
rest  of  us,  who  would  watch  the  hostiles  from  con- 
cealment and  learn  what  we  could  of  them,  while 
a  courier  was  sent  to  notify  the  main  body  and 
bring  it  up — we  drew  quickly  back  and  jammed 
in  together  behind  the  rock,  with  our  knees  and 
legs  touching,  bodies  leaning  forward,  and  heads 
peering  to  the  right  to  see  what  would  develop 
over  there,  half  a  mile  away,  where  the  two  Ind- 
ians were  quietly  walking  along.  This  was 
95 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

the  natural  thing  to  do,  as  the  rock  was  so  high 
that,  sitting  erect  in  our  saddles,  only  our  heads 
and  a  small  portion  of  our  bodies  would  have 
shown  above  it. 

All  this  happened  in  a  few  seconds,  and  as  the 
horses'  heads  reached  the  rock  it  brought  us  five 
abreast.  It  then  seemed  to  occur  to  Yuma  Bill 
that  he  had  not  looked  over  the  rock ;  or  he  may 
have  heard  some  noise,  for  he  jerked  his  face  so 
suddenly  and  quickly  to  the  front  that  he  came 
near  striking  it  against  mine  as  I  was  leaning 
looking  to  the  right.  I  believe  that  the  portion 
of  a  second  that  I  gained  in  suddenly  jerking  my 
face  out  of  the  way  and  his  looking  over  the  top  of 
the  rock  as  quickly  as  he  did  saved  my  life,  for  in 
a  flash  I  saw  poked  over  the  rock  a  thick  array  of 
gun-barrels,  with  twelve  or  fifteen  Indian  heads 
and  faces  showing  behind  them.  At  the  same 
instant  Bill  cried  out,  in  an  intense  shriek,  as  if 
it  was  one  word,  the  sentence,  "  Watch  out,  Lieu- 
tenant McDonald!"  Throwing  myself  forward 
on  my  horse's  neck,  I  grasped  the  reins  close  to 
the  bit  on  each  side  to  turn  him  away,  and  then 
came  the  volley,  and  with  the  smoke  in  my  face 
and  eyes  I  threw  my  horse's  head  to  the  lef t-about, 
over  the  bodies  of  the  three  dead  Yumas,  that  had 
been  riding  on  my  left,  and  had  now  fallen  under 
his  feet.  I  knew,  from  an  exclamation,  that  Bill 
had  been  struck,  and  somehow  was  conscious  that 
9*    • 


■  " 

>H 

■■■■• 

^w                        ft^H 

syyTgs^ 

Jri^flR^ 

^|B|,  iJP^tJP 

r  J^^^p^^BB  $ 

^*^      ^fer4fei      ■  jim!_S 

^^^^P^w«% 

r           *V^     i' 

ttC 

K.JTZ^^?,'* —       *■."*-* -'i 

THE   AMBUSCADE 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

he  had  not  fallen  from  his  saddle.  I  heard  the 
corporal,  who,  being  a  little  behind  and  lower 
down  the  slope,  had  not  been  exposed  to  the  vol- 
ley, wheel  to  the  rear  and  call,  "  Come  on,  Lieu- 
tenant," and  I  galloped  after  him,  the  three  troop- 
horses  that  the  dead  scouts  had  ridden  whirling 
and  running  abreast  of  me,  as  they  had  been 
drilled  to  do  in  the  troop,  and  we  made  for  a  mo- 
ment a  correct  set  of  fours,  in  retreat ;  but  realiz- 
ing that  it  would  not  do  to  go  so  rapidly,  I  called 
to  the  corporal  to  watch  out  for  his  horse,  and  be- 
gan pulling  in  on  my  own,  fearing  he  would  fall 
in  the  descent  and  cripple  both  me  and  himself. 
Old  Don  was  a  splendid  animal,  but  hard-mouthed, 
and  I  pulled  so  hard  that  I  actually  sprung  one 
branch  of  a  fine  steel  bit  before  I  could  stop  him. 
When  I  had  gotten,  say,  fifty  yards  away  I  came 
to  a  quick  halt  and  wheeled  left-about,  getting  a 
bullet  through  my  hat  as  I  did  it,  and  another 
singed  my  jaw  and  neck. 

At  this  moment  a  tremendous  volley  belched 
forth  from  just  behind  the  rock,  and  I  realized 
that  there  was  another  and  much  larger  body  of 
Indians  lying  there.  Still,  I  took  aim  and  fired  at 
the  Indians  who  were  on  top  of  the  big  rock  shoot- 
ing at  us,  and  instantly  they  jumped,  rolled  and 
tumbled  off  in  all  directions,  seeking  safety ;  for 
Indians  hunt  cover  always  if  it  can  be  had.  Just 
as  I  turned  to  face  the  enemy  I  saw  a  sight  that 
G  97 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

I  shall  never  forget.  Yuma  Bill  had  stopped  and 
turned  almost  simultaneously  with  myself — pos- 
sibly a  second  sooner.  As  his  horse  halted,  facing 
the  foe,  he  rose  upright  in  his  stirrups,  stand- 
ing straight  as  an  arrow,  every  nerve  and  muscle 
at  full  tension,  his  big  eyes  blazing,  and  his  long 
black  hair  floating  behind  him,  even  his  horse 
standing  with  the  glory  of  the  battle  on  him  (and 
it  is  glorious,  if  cruel),  with  arched  neck  and  fiery 
eyes,  in  an  expectant  attitude,  ready  to  leap,  but 
nevertheless  standing  stock-still,  I  saw  Bill's 
long  rifle  come  up  swift  and  steady,  but  I  saw  no 
more.  I  was  closing  the  breech-block  of  my  car- 
bine and  raising  it  to  my  shoulder.  I  heard  the 
report  of  Bill's  gun,  and  immediately  came  the 
heavy  volley  I  have  mentioned,  followed  by  my 
own  shot,  and  the  disappearance  of  the  Indians 
on  the  rocks  in  front  of  me. 

It  was  time  to  wheel  now,  and  as  I  closed  in 
my  second  cartridge  I  turned  to  the  right-about 
looking  for  Bill.  There  stood  his  horse  with  his 
neck  distended  and  blood  pouring  from  several 
wounds,  Bill  still  in  the  saddle,  but  drooping 
forward,  his  head  turning  downward  by  the  side 
of  his  horse's  neck.  I  saw  his  head  touch  the 
tip  of  the  horse's  mane,  which  was  towards  me, 
and  I  suppose  he  fell  on  his  head,  but  I  did  not 
see  him  leave  the  saddle,  for  my  horse  turned 
and  again  dashed  to  the  rear,  and  during  the 
98 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

next  three  or  four  hundred  yards  splinters  of 
rocks  and  gravel  struck  us  both,  thrown  up  by 
the  hot  fire  of  the  Apaches.  Catching  up  with 
the  corporal,  we  turned  again  at  700  yards  dis- 
tance, and  paused  to  see  their  location  and  judge 
of  their  number.  I  pulled  out  my  watch  and 
looked  at  the  hour.  We  estimated  the  hostiles 
at  150,  and  saw  that  we  had  only  struck  the  first 
point  of  the  ambuscade.  We  had  no  time  to  lin- 
ger, so  I  signalled  the  two  Mojave  scouts  to  join 
us,  which  they  did.  Then  we  came  once  more 
upon  the  two  mining  prospectors,  who  had  heard 
the  firing,  and  were  again  running  around  as 
before,  moaning  and  crying.  We  put  them  upon 
the  horses  of  the  dead  scouts,  which  had  followed 
us,  after  I  had  taken  my  carbine  and  knocked  a 
little  sense  into  them,  telling  them  to  go  to  Lords- 
burg,  and  then  I  picked  out  a  good  position  on 
which  to  build  rifle-pits,  when  suddenly  the 
young  Mojave  scout  called  my  attention  to  some 
Indians  running  towards  us  through  some  mes- 
quite-bushes.  We  first  thought  them  hostiles, 
and  were  about  to  fire,  when,  to  our  delight,  we 
saw  that  they  were  some  of  our  own  Indian  scouts. 
The  old  medicine-man,  our  oldest  Mojave  scout, 
was  almost  paralyzed  with  fear,  and  as  the  six 
scouts  reached  us  he  made  the  sign  dead  and 
continued  to  talk  to  them  for  a  few  seconds,  and 
then  these  scouts,  who  had  come  to  our  rescue 
99 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

on  hearing  the  firing,  went  all  to  pieces  with 
fear,  and  began  running  around  in  the  wildest 
excitement.  Seeing  that  it  would  not  take  many 
seconds  for  them  to  become  demoralized  beyond 
control,  I  set  in  cursing  roundly  and  abusing 
them  for  cowards,  telling  them  to  fight  and  kill 
the  Apaches  and  not  behave  like  squaws.  Sud- 
denly the  largest  Indian  stripped  off  his  blouse, 
and,  naked  to  his  gee-string,  ejaculated,  in  sten- 
torian tones,  "  I  fight  and  kill  Apache  Chirica- 
hua!"  Instantly  the  others  seemed  to  come  to 
themselves,  began  to  strip  for  battle,  and  in  an- 
other moment  were  building  rifle-pits  at  the 
places  pointed  out  to  them,  with  all  possible  en- 
ergy. This  big  Indian  told  me  that  the  com- 
mand was  away  from  the  mountains,  well  out 
in  the  plain.  I  then  mounted  Qua-day-lay- 
thay-go  on  Jumping- Jack,  our  troop  race-horse, 
which  I  had  with  me,  and  told  him  to  find  the 
command  and  tell  General  Forsyth  our  situation 
and  bring  the  troops  to  our  aid.  Then  I  rear- 
ranged my  Indians  in  their  rifle-pits  and  had 
them  build  me  one. 

Meanwhile  the  hostiles,  having  despoiled  and 
mutilated  the  bodies  of  the  dead  scouts,  brought 
them  out  to  where  Yuma  Bill  lay  dead,  and,  build- 
ing a  hot  fire  of  dead  amole-bushes,  proceeded  to 
have  a  wild  dance  around  the  roasting  bodies  of 
their  enemies,  occasionally  running  towards  us, 
ioo 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

yelling  and  taunting  us,  and  daring  us  to  come 
out  and  fight  them.  I  made  a  little  speech  to 
my  scouts  on  the  folly  of  being  scared,  and  told 
them,  holding  up  a  single  cartridge,  that  in  case 
the  Apaches  attacked  us  after  their  dance,  I  want- 
ed them  to  make  sure  each  cartridge  told  on  one 
of  their  enemies.  I  wound  up  by  saying  that  I 
believed  I  could  whip  off  the  Apaches  myself, 
and  ordering  them  not  to  fire  unless  I  should  get 
up  and  run  towards  them,  I  crawled  out  300  yards 
towards  the  Apache  high  carnival,  and  lying 
under  a  low-spreading  mesquite-bush,  very  quiet- 
ly and  cautiously  laid  up  a  low  breastwork  of 
flat  rock  that  was  lying  near  me.  Presently 
two  Indians  rode  out  from  the  group,  which  was 
not  a  thousand  yards  from  where  I  lay,  to  a 
point  800  yards  from  our  rifle-pits,  and  began 
pointing  at  them,  talking  and  gesticulating, 
evidently  about  us.  Raising  my  sights  to  500 
yards,  I  took  deliberate  aim  at  the  one  sitting 
still,  looked  up  at  the  sky  to  see  that  my  vision 
was  clear,  and  once  more  scanned  my  sights,  and 
seeing  that  I  still  held  my  gun  exactly  on  him, 
I  pulled  the  trigger  slowly  and  steadily.  A  puff 
of  smoke,  a  sharp  report,  and  an  Indian  leaping 
up  out  of  the  saddle  with  a  bounding  motion 
similar  to  that  of  my  three  scouts  killed  at  the  big 
rock  was  the  result,  while  the  other  one  wheeled 
his  pony  and  ran  back  at  full  speed,  followed  by 
101 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

the  pony  of  his  companion.  My  scouts  saw  him 
fall  out  of  the  saddle,  and  set  up  a  perfect  din  of 
ear-splitting  war-whoops  as  I  walked  back  to 
them. 

In  the  meantime  we  could  see  a  great  commo- 
tion and  excitement  among  the  hostiles.  As 
we  could  as  yet  see  nothing  of  the  troops,  the 
scouts  seemed  to  have  made  up  their  minds  that 
Quah-day-lay-thay-go  had  either  been  ambushed 
or  run  away,  and  begged  me  to  take  the  corporal 
and  bring  up  the  cavalry,  promising  faithfully 
that  if  attacked  they  would  defend  themselves 
from  the  rifle-pits,  and  not  retreat  and  be  shot 
down  like  a  band  of  antelope.  The  location  of 
the  rifle-pits  was  a  good  one,  and  they  could  not 
be  assailed  under  cover  in  any  direction;  so, 
taking  the  corporal  with  me,  we  started  nearly 
due  east;  but  noticing,  about  a  mile  away  on 
the  plain  we  were  heading  for,  a  triangular- 
shaped  mass  that  stood  higher  than  the  rest  of 
the  vicinity,  I  scented  danger,  so  I  turned  our 
course  southward,  so  as  to  pass  the  end  of  it  500 
yards  away.  Sure  enough,  there  sat  and  stood 
a  bunch  of  Apaches,  evidently  put  on  watch  to 
prevent  any  couriers  being  sent  out  from  the 
rifle-pits.  At  the  moment  we  saw  them  they  were 
very  much  excited  about  something;  their  po- 
nies were  tethered  near  them,  and  they  were  ges- 
ticulating and  talking  excitedly,  and  even  the 
102 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

watch  who  had  been  looking  in  our  direction 
must  have  gone  back  to  them,  and  so  missed  see- 
ing us.  The  instant  they  saw  us,  however,  there 
was  a  hubbub,  shots  were  exchanged,  and  mount- 
ing their  ponies,  on  they  came,  some  fifteen  or 
eighteen  of  them.  We  put  our  horses  at  a  good 
gait,  going  a  little  south  of  our  former  course  to 
avoid  losing  distance  by  enabling  them  to  cut 
across  a  short  angle  and  thereby  gain  on  us. 

We  soon  found  that  we  had  the  better  mounts 
and  that  they  could  not  overtake  us,  so  we  kept 
well  ahead  of  them,  stopped  to  breathe  our  ani- 
mals until  they  were  within  range,  took  a  shot  at 
them,  and  pushed  on  again.  In  about  three 
miles  we  came  out  on  the  plain  and  struck  what 
in  the  language  of  the  frontier  in  those  parts  is 
called  a  "  sliyer  " — that  is,  the  hard,  sun-baked 
bed  of  a  depression  in  the  soil,  only  a  few  inches 
below  the  level  of  the  surrounding  plain,  that  in 
wet  weather  forms  a  lake,  and  in  dry  times  be- 
comes a  flat,  smooth,  crusted  surface.  We  made 
for  the  centre,  dismounted,  and  prepared  to  fight, 
intending  to  kill  our  horses  for  breastworks  if 
necessary ;  but  as  there  was  not  even  a  blade  of 
grass  to  protect  them  and  afford  cover  in  case 
they  followed  us,  I  doubted  if  they  would  dare  to 
attempt  an  attack  in  the  open.  They  stopped 
and  gathered  in  council.  Suddenly  we  heard 
firing  down  at  the  lower  end  of  the  sliyer,  and 
103 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

saw  dismounted  Indians  coming  out  on  it,  and 
our  pursuers  began  slowly  turning  back  towards 
the  mountains.  One  Indian  came  dashing  up  on 
the  only  horse  I  had  left  back  at  the  rifle-pits.  I 
thought  it  was  a  hostile  who  had  captured  the 
horse  and  wished  to  deceive  me,  and  was  about 
to  fire,  when  he  gave  the  sign  of  friendship,  and 
I  realized  he  was  the  big  Mojave  scout.  I  asked 
what  the  firing  was,  and  who  were  the  Indians 
on  the  lower  end  of  the  sliyer.  He  told  me  that, 
hearing  the  report  of  our  guns,  the  scouts  deter- 
mined to  leave  the  pits  and  come  to  our  assistance, 
and  had  been  followed  by  the  Apaches,  and  were 
now  firing  back  at  them.  Happening  to  cast  my 
eyes  to  the  north  over  some  sand-hills  just  below 
the  sliyer,  we  could  see  a  cloud  of  dust  coming 
rapidly  nearer  us,  and  realizing  that  there  was 
no  danger  of  the  hostiles  coming  any  further,  I 
galloped  across  the  sliyer  and  dashed  up  the 
hill,  and  just  beyond  and  below  I  saw  six  splendid 
cavalry  troops  in  beautiful  order  en  echelon, 
sweeping  towards  us  at  a  full  gallop.  Quah-day- 
lay-thay-go  had  bravely  performed  his  mission, 
but  at  the  expense  of  the  life  of  our  plucky  race- 
horse Jumping- Jack. 

And  now  that  the  reader  has  Lieutenant  Mc- 
Donald's well-told  tale  of  an  Apache  ambuscade, 
I  will  take  up  my  narrative  again.     In  a  few  words 
104 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

Lieutenant  McDonald  told  me  what  had  hap- 
pened, and  moving  my  cavalry  well  up  among  the 
foot-hills,  but  just  outside  of  rifle-range  of  the 
enemy,  the  order  was  given  to  dismount  and  pre- 
pare to  fight  on  foot.  The  position  occupied  by 
the  hostiles  was  a  capital  one.  I  found  them 
strongly  intrenched  on  the  left  side  of  Horse  Shoe 
Canon,  and  also  in  the  middle  of  it,  where  there 
was  an  outlying  mass  of  rugged  rocks  about  four 
hundred  feet  in  height,  a  smaller  ledge  of  rocks 
about  thirty  feet  in  height  connecting  the  two 
places.  I  formed  two  flanking  parties  of  two 
troops  each,  left  one  troop  with  the  horses,  and 
moved  directly  on  their  front  with  the  other. 
Major  Wirt  Davis  opened  the  attack,  and  in  about 
an  hour,  by  hard  work  and  good  climbing,  we 
compelled  them  to  abandon  their  position  and 
fall  back.  They  then  took  up  a  second  strong  po- 
sition, which  we  again  flanked  them  out  of,  and 
gradually  drove  them  back  into  the  canon  and 
up  among  the  high  peaks  of  the  range,  some  of 
them  firing  at  us  from  points  eight,  twelve,  and 
even  sixteen  hundred  feet  above  us.  I  never  saw 
a  much  more  rugged  place,  nor  one  better  adapted 
to  the  means  of  defence.  We  had  forced  them 
far  up  the  canon,  and  I  regarded  the  affair  about 
over,  as  we  could  no  longer  reach  them. 

The  air  was  suffocatingly  hot  in  the  canon,  and 
we  were  weary  and  very  thirsty.     On  one  side  of 
105 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

the  canon,  near  its  head,  was  a  small  spring  of 
water  trickling  into  a  little  pool  in  the  rocks,  and 
no  sooner  was  it  discerned  by  our  skirmishers 
than  it  was  surrounded  by  men  with  canteens, 
while  others  drank  from  the  brim  of  their  cam- 
paign hats,  and  again  others  threw  themselves 
flat  on  their  faces  and  lapped  up  the  water,  while 
others  scooped  up  the  precious  fluid  in  their 
hands.  Like  a  flash  out  of  a  clear  sky  came  the 
crack  of  five  or  six  rifles,  and  bullets  seemed  to 
strike  everywhere  around  us,  but  no  one  was  hit. 
The  way  that  thirsty  crowd  broke  for  cover  was 
astonishing.  In  ten  seconds  every  man  was  cov- 
ered by  a  rock,  and  thirty  men  were  scanning  the 
high  cliffs  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  canon  with 
the  keenest  possible  interest.  A  puff  of  smoke 
far  up  the  side  and  a  second  volley  was  sent  at  us, 
but  ere  its  sound  came  echoing  back  thirty  bullets 
from  as  many  carbines  clipped  the  very  edge  of 
the  protecting  ledge  that  partially  covered  the 
Indians,  and  it  must  have  hurt  them,  for  it  was 
the  last  volley  fired  by  the  hostiles.  In  this  ac- 
tion I  first  saw  the  good  effects  of  our  (then  new) 
system  of  rifle  practice.  Our  men  were  far  better 
shots  than  the  Indians,  and  kept  them  down  and 
under  cover  almost  constantly.  Our  loss  in  this 
affair  was  slight :  to  the  best  of  my  recollection, 
one  non-commissioned  officer,  two  privates,  and 
four  scouts  killed,  and  one  commissioned  officer 
1 06 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

and  six  or  eight  men  wounded.  My  men  were 
very  tired,  especially  from  climbing  through  the 
crags.  The  Apaches  abandoned  thirty  ponies 
and  mules ;  those  we  did  not  need  for  the  use  of 
our  scouts  we  killed. 

Indian  ponies  that  cannot  be  driven  along  with 
the  command  that  captures  them  are  killed,  to 
prevent  their  being  rounded  up  by  Indian  scouts, 
who,  sooner  or  later,  are  always  sent  back  on  the 
trail  with  that  object  in  view. 

It  was  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  the 
affair  was  over,  and  as  I  had  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  these  Indians  had  come  up  from 
Mexico  to  help  the  hostiles  down,  I  determined 
to  go  to  Richmond,  on  the  Gila  River,  where  I 
had  ordered  Lieutenant  Hall  and  his  Indian 
scouts  to  meet  me,  expecting  to  find  the  hostiles 
there.  I  was  moved  to  do  this  from  the  fact  that 
Lieutenant  McDonald  had  followed  these  Indians 
north  on  the  trail.  Major  Davis  thought  I  was 
wrong,  and  that  the  Indians  we  had  been  fighting 
were  part  of  the  hostile  Apaches ;  but  as  we  had 
not  at  any  time  caught  a  glimpse  of  Loco's 
women  and  children,  I  thought  otherwise.  After- 
events  proved  Major  Davis  in  the  right,  to  the 
extent  that  the  raiding  party  was  in  the  fight, 
but  it  had  been  joined  here  by  reinforcements. 
We  stopped  for  two  hours,  taking  a  much-needed 
rest,  and  after  the  horses  were  groomed  we  started 
107 


AN    APACHE    RAID 

for  Richmond,  and  reached  the  main  road,  four- 
teen miles  distant,  at  half-past  one  in  the  morning, 
having  had  to  move  slowly,  as  we  were  carrying 
some  of  our  wounded  on  stretchers.  Here  I  fell 
in  with  a  citizen,  who  was  on  his  way  to  Lords- 
burg,  and  he  told  me  that  the  Indians  had  left 
the  Gila  River,  after  killing  many  people,  and 
were  on  their  way  to  Mexico.  Furthermore,  it 
was  still  eighteen  miles  to  the  river.  I  made  a 
dry  camp  right  where  we  were,  as  men  and  horses 
were  very  tired. 

In  the  morning  I  was  joined  by  Captain  Gordon 
of  the  Sixth  Cavalry  with  his  troop,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Gatewood  of  the  same  regiment  with  his 
Indian  scouts.  First  sending  a  detail  with  my 
wounded  to  Lordsburg,  I  at  once  started  back  on 
my  trail,  rested  at  Horse  Shoe  Canon,  where  the 
men  got  coffee  and  groomed  their  tired  horses. 
There  were  only  two  small  springs  here,  and  the 
men  had  barely  enough  water  for  coffee  and  to  fill 
their  canteens,  but  in  every  instance  they  di- 
vided their  canteens  of  water  with  their  suffering 
horses.  We  then  pushed  on  to  Steins  Pass  sta- 
tion, reaching  there  at  half-past  nine  o'clock  at 
night.  I  had  sent  a  courier  to  Lordsburg  with  a 
telegraphic  despatch  to  Separ  station  for  supplies 
and  two  tank-cars  of  water,  which  I  found  await- 
ing us  on  our  arrival.  Our  horses  had  travelled 
seventy-eight  miles,  sixteen  at  a  gallop,  in  most 
1 08 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

intensely  hot  weather,  and  had  been  forty  hours 
without  water,  save  about  a  pint  each  at  Horse 
Shoe  Canon.  We  managed  to  procure  several 
barrels  in  which  to  water  them,  and  it  was  pite- 
ous to  hear  them  neigh  and  see  them  plunge  as 
they  heard  the  water  rush  into  the  barrels  from 
the  faucets,  and  they  were  held  back  until  their 
turn  came  to  be  watered. 

Despite  the  efforts  of  two  men  to  restrain  each 
horse,  it  was  not  an  infrequent  thing  for  them  to 
plunge  their  heads  in  the  water-barrel  quite  up 
to  their  ears  in  their  eagerness  to  slake  their  in- 
tolerable thirst.  It  was  half-past  one  in  the 
morning  before  the  last  animal  had  been  watered, 
and  then  the  command  turned  in  for  a  much- 
needed  rest.  At  daylight  I  sent  out  the  scouts 
to  find  the  trail,  as  I  knew  that  the  retreating 
Apaches  would  cross  the  San  Simon  Valley  for 
the  Chiricahua  range  on  the  Mexican  frontier, 
and  all  the  men  in  camp  set  to  work  to  shoe  up 
our  horses,  as  many  of  them  needed  looking  after 
in  that  particular.  At  noon  word  was  sent  me 
that  the  trail  had  been  found,  crossing  the  rail- 
way about  six  miles  west  of  where  we  were,  on 
the  old  Fort  Bowie  road.  At  12.40  the  command 
was  in  the  saddle  and  on  the  road  to  the  trail.  My 
scouts  informed  me  that  the  hostiles  had  worked 
along  the  crest  of  the  Steins  Peak  range,  towards 
San  Simon  station,  and  crossed  over  the  moun- 
109 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

tains,  searching  out  a  new  and  terribly  rough 
trail  down  the  side  of  a  rugged  mountain,  only 
possible  to  be  used  by  Indians  who  fully  realized 
that  their  lives  depended  upon  crossing  the 
range  without  delay. 

After  the  trail  reached  the  San  Simon  Valley, 
instead  of  crossing  the  railroad  at  once,  it  led 
east  among  the  foot-hills  for  eight  miles,  then 
crossed  the  railway  and  made  directly  across 
the  valley  for  the  Chiricahua  range.  It  was  a 
well-defined  trail,  and  was  easily  followed  until 
6.30  P.M.,  when  it  scattered  in  every  direction, 
and  my  scouts  not  being  able  to  pick  it  up  between 
the  base  of  the  range  and  where  we  were,  I  con- 
cluded it  would  be  found  leading  southwest  along 
the  base  of  the  Chiricahua  range;  and  having 
heard  that  hostile  Indians  had  been  seen  near 
Galeyville,  a  mining  hamlet,  the  day  before,  and 
knowing  that  the  only  water  to  be  had  was  in 
a  stream — Turkey  Creek — near  that  place,  I 
pushed  directly  for  that  spot.  We  reached  Tur- 
key Creek  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,  and  went  into 
camp,  having  marched  forty  miles  since  noon. 
Half  an  hour  later  Captain  Chaffee,  of  the  Sixth 
Cavalry,  with  his  troop  and  Lieutenant  West's 
company  of  Indian  scouts,  came  up,  also  in  pur- 
suit of  the  same  body  of  Indians — his  command 
appertaining  to  the  Military  Department  of  Ari- 
zona, while  mine  was  under  the  authority  of  the 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

commanding  officer  of  the  District  of  New  Mex- 
ico. Information  having  reached  me  that  the 
hostiles  had  killed  some  whites  in  the  Pineries,  a 
spot  twelve  miles  from  Galeyville,  the  preceding 
day,  I  sent  an  officer  to  Galeyville,  about  two 
miles  from  my  camp,  to  ascertain  its  truth  and 
get  me  a  couple  of  guides. 

At  daylight  we  were  off,  leaving  Captain  Chaf- 
fee's command  in  camp,  and  the  guides  put  us  on 
the  trail,  the  Indians  having  pushed  through  the 
foot-hills  of  the  Chiricahua  range,  and  then  out 
into  the  San  Simon  Valley  again.  We  followed 
it  across  the  valley  in  a  southeasterly  direction, 
stopping  to  water  the  command  at  Cave  Creek. 
Thence  we  moved  to  White  Water  Canon,  where 
the  stream  was  dry,  and  rested  an  hour,  and 
again  took  up  the  trail,  which  led  directly  over  a 
range  of  mountains  which  is  really  an  extension 
of  the  Steins  Peak  range.  It  was  9.30  P.M. 
when  we  reached  the  crest  of  the  range,  and  as 
both  the  men  and  horses  were  pretty  well  ex- 
hausted, I  made  a  dry  camp.  The  day  had  been 
a  trying  one,  and  the  command  had  been  without 
water  since  10  A.M.,  we  having  marched  forty 
miles  over  a  very  rough  country.  At  daylight  we 
resumed  the  trail,  which  led  down  the  mountain 
and  out  into  the  valley  for  some  miles,  where  it 
suddenly  disappeared.  A  careful  search  showed 
that  the  Indians  had  here  scattered  in  every  direc- 
iii 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

tion,  and  probably  arranged  to  work  back  to  the 
foot-hills  individually,  to  throw  any  pursuing 
party  off  their  trail.  We  moved  back  at  once,  but 
failed  to  find  the  trail  again,  even  after  long  and 
diligent  search,  and  as  the  men  had  been  over 
thirty  hours  without  cooked  food  and  without 
water  for  over  twenty-four,  I  moved  down  into  the 
valley,  and  found  a  marshy  place  called  Clover- 
dale  Cienagas,  with  a  small  stream  of  good  water 
flowing  out  of  it,  and  went  into  camp.  I  sent  my 
chief  of  scouts  out  to  look  for  the  main  trail. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Lieutenant  Hall 
with  his  Indian  scouts,  who  had  been  chasing 
me  up  for  several  days,  reached  my  camp  and 
told  me  that  he  had  struck  the  trail  ten  miles  dis- 
tant, leading  towards  Guadalupe  Pass.  I  was 
already  aware  that  Captain  Tupper,  of  the  Sixth 
Cavalry,  with  two  troops  of  his  regiment  and 
some  Indian  scouts,  was  ahead  of  me  on  that  trail, 
as  I  had  met  a  courier  of  his  the  preceding  day 
with  an  open  despatch  stating  that,  in  his  opin- 
ion, the  Indians  were  heading  for  the  Guadalupe 
Pass,  and  that  he,  Tupper,  would  soon  be  down  to 
the  line.  On  the  next  day,  the  27th  inst.,  we 
moved  down  the  Animas  Valley  towards  Guada- 
lupe Pass. 

When  near  Cloverdale  two  citizens  met  us  who 
told  us  that  Captain  Tupper  passed  in  pursuit  of 
the  Indians  the  preceding  day ;  that  the  Indians 
112 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

had  moved  toward  Guadalupe  Pass,  and  then,  in- 
stead of  going  through  it,  had  turned  back,  and 
moving  almost  east  around  the  foot-hills  of  the 
mountains,  had  crossed  directly  over  the  range 
about  midway  between  the  San  Luis  and  Guada- 
lupe passes.  They  willingly  guided  us  to  the 
trail,  saving  us  a  ten-mile  march  by  cutting  direct- 
ly across  the  valley  to  a  point  that  they  knew  the 
hostiles  had  passed,  and  we  pushed  on  across  the 
Mexican  line  and  over  the  range  on  one  of  the 
worst  trails  that  I  have  ever  seen  or  heard  of.  We 
reached  the  base  about  dark,  and  near  the  mouth 
of  the  canon  we  found  Captain  Tupper  and  his 
command.  He  had  been  hot  on  the  trail  of  the 
hostiles  the  preceding  day,  and  reached  his  pres- 
ent location  without  the  Indians  being  aware  of 
his  approach.  His  scouts  located  their  camp  that 
night  eight  miles  distant  in  the  valley,  near  a  small 
cienaga,  or  swamp,  and  before  daylight  he  cautious- 
ly moved  out  and  attacked  them,  hoping  to  surprise 
them,  and  did  succeed  in  capturing  part  of  their 
herd  and  killing  some  of  them ;  but  they  managed 
to  fall  back  and  get  into  a  mass  of  great  rocky 
crags  near  the  swamp,  and  his  force  was  inade- 
quate successfully  to  dislodge  them.  He  had 
fallen  back  with  the  captured  stock  and  his 
wounded  men.  We  were  now  in  Mexico,  miles 
across  the  line,  and  I  knew  it,  and,  worse  than 
all,  I  had  strict  orders  in  my  possession  on  no 
h  113 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

account  to  enter  Mexican  territory,  as  at  that 
particular  time  relations  were  somewhat  strained 
diplomatically  in  that  direction,  a  certain  agree- 
ment, running  six  months,  I  think,  permitting 
the  troops  of  either  country  to  follow  the  raiding 
Apaches  on  either  side  of  the  line,  having  expired, 
and  Mexican  sentiment  was  against  a  renewal 
of  it. 

After  thinking  the  matter  over,  I  decided  to 
follow  the  Indians.  They  had  murdered  and 
plundered  our  citizens,  believing  we  dare  not  fol- 
low them  into  Mexico,  and  that  once  they  were 
there  they  were  safe.  Captain  Tupper  had 
taught  them  otherwise,  and  I  had  determined 
from  the  start  to  follow  them  as  far  as  I  could,  no 
matter  where  they  went,  as  our  people  were  en- 
titled to  government  protection,  and  an  imagi- 
nary line  ought  not  to  bar  the  pursuit  of  raiding 
savages.  Furthermore,  we  were  in  a  wild  coun- 
try, and  might  possibly  find  this  band,  and,  with 
the  force  I  could  now  control,  defeat  and  com- 
pletely scatter  it,  and  get  back  to  our  own  side 
of  the  line  without  the  knowledge  of  the  Mexican 
government.  Accordingly,  at  daylight  the  en- 
tire command,  including  Captain  Tupper 's  forces, 
moved  out  and  down  the  valley  to  the  scene  of  his 
fight  on  the  previous  day.  The  Indians  had  left 
their  position  in  the  rocks  and  started  southward. 
We  took  up  the  trail  and  followed  doggedly  on. 
"4 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

About  ten  miles  from  where  Captain  Tupper's 
fight  took  place  we  found  a  poor  old  wounded 
squaw  on  the  trail.  She  was  very  much  fright- 
ened, expecting  to  be  killed.  She  told  us  that 
Captain  Tupper's  command  had  killed  six  braves 
the  preceding  day,  and  they  had  lost  thirteen 
killed  at  Horse  Shoe  Canon,  besides  many 
wounded  in  both  actions.  Giving  her  some 
water  and  bread,  we  left  her  on  the  trail.  About 
ten  or  eleven  o'clock  my  attention  was  called  to 
the  dust  thrown  up  by  the  Indians  in  retreat  down 
the  valley  many  miles  away,  the  air  being  so  clear 
that  objects  could  easily  be  seen  a  great  distance, 
and  as  there  was  no  wind,  a  column  of  dust  was 
visible  a  long  way.  Later  on  in  the  day  I  missed 
it,  and  wondered  whether  the  Apaches  had  again 
taken  to  the  mountains.  On  this  day's  march 
we  also  found  the  dead  body  of  a  warrior,  who 
had  died  of  his  wounds,  the  wicker  stretcher  that 
lay  by  his  side  showing  that  he  was  of  sufficient 
importance  in  rank  for  his  companions  to  try 
and  get  him  off,  notwithstanding  they  were  so 
sorely  pressed  by  their  pursuers.  At  nightfall 
we  reached  a  small  stream,  which  we  rightly  con- 
cluded must  be  the  head-water  of  the  Janos  River. 
I  felt  confident  that  we  would  overtake  the  hos- 
tiles  the  next  day,  and  so  did  all  my  officers.  At 
daylight  the  next  morning  I  heard  the  sound  of 
reveille  by  Mexican  bugles,  and  my  command 
«5 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

had  not  moved  out  over  a  mile  when  Lieutenant 
Hall,  who  had  the  advance,  reported  a  Mexican 
camp  a  few  miles  beyond. 

After  marching  about  two  miles  I  was  met  by 
Colonel  Lorenzo  Garcia,  of  the  Sixth  Mexican  In- 
fantry, who  with  his  adjutant  came  across  a 
small  ravine  to  meet  our  forces.  He  most  cour- 
teously desired  to  know  if  I  was  aware  that  my 
command  was  upon  Mexican  soil.  If  so,  what 
authority,  if  any,  I  had  for  crossing  the  line,  as 
I  must  know  that  his  government  had  issued 
stringent  orders  against  any  armed  forces  being 
allowed  to  enter  Mexico  from  the  United  States. 
Quite  as  courteously,  but  nevertheless  decidedly, 
I  told  him  that  my  orders  looked  to  the  capture 
or  extermination  of  a  band  of  hostile  Indians,  part 
of  whom  had  come  from  Mexico,  and  who  had 
murdered  citizens  of  the  United  States  in  the 
Territories  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  burned 
their  homes  and  stolen  their  cattle,  and  whom  I 
had  pursued  red-handed  from  our  side  of  the  bor- 
der to  the  present  spot ;  that  parts  of  my  com- 
mand had  fought  these  Indians  twice  and  fol- 
lowed them  over  two  mountain  ranges,  and  we 
were  still  in  pursuit  of  them ;  that  the  citizens 
of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  were  terribly  exas- 
perated over  these  outrages,  and  righteously  so ; 
that  these  same  Indians  had  for  the  two  pre- 
ceding years  raided  the  said  Territories  and  com- 
116 


AN    APACHE    RAID 

mitted  many  murders  and  other  atrocities,  and 
finally  taken  refuge  in  Mexico  ;  that  my  sole 
object  was  their  pursuit  and  punishment,  and 
that  he  might  rest  assured  that  no  citizens  of 
the  republic  of  Mexico  would  be  molested,  harmed 
or  injured  in  person  or  property  by  my  command, 
but  I  felt  it  incumbent  upon  me  to  pursue  and,  if 
possible,  destroy  this  band  of  murderers;  the 
inhabitants  of  the  border  expected  it  of  the 
troops,  and  we  were  anxious  to  fulfil  their  rea- 
sonable expectations.  Colonel  Garcia  replied 
in  substance  as  follows :  "  While  I  am  willing  to 
acknowledge  the  justice  of  your  pursuit  of  these 
Indians,  nevertheless  my  government  is  strong 
enough  to  punish  these  people."  I  replied  that 
I  did  not  doubt  the  good  faith  of  the  Mexican 
government,  but  the  only  way  to  get  at  these 
Indians  was  to  follow  their  trail  and  fight  them 
wherever  found,  no  matter  in  what  place  or  in 
what  State  or  Territory.  Our  conversation  con- 
tinued for  some  time,  Colonel  Garcia,  while  very 
courteous  in  his  manner,  still  insisting  upon  my 
immediate  return  with  my  troops  to  our  side  of 
the  line,  stating  that  the  instructions  of  his  gov- 
ernment compelled  him  to  take  the  ground  that 
he  did.  Quite  as  courteously  I  replied  that  under 
existing  circumstances  I  purposed  to  follow  these 
savages  to  their  lair  if  necessary  and  fight  them 
wherever  found.  He  then  said :  "  If  your  sole 
117 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

object  is  the  punishment  of  this  band  of  maraud- 
ers, it  is  already  accomplished.  My  command 
fought,  routed,  and  scattered  them  yesterday." 

I  then  said  that,  such  being  the  fact,  my 
march  southward  was  over,  and  I  and  my  com- 
mand would  return  immediately  to  the  United 
States,  but,  with  his  permission,  I  would  like  to 
go  over  the  battle-field.  He  very  willingly  con- 
sented, and  we  rode  over  it  together.  He  had 
been  advised  of  the  Indians  having  gone  on  a 
raid  to  San  Carlos,  and  was  scouting  the  frontier, 
hoping  to  catch  them  on  their  way  back.  The 
preceding  day  he  had  seen  a  cloud  of  dust  made 
by  some  parties  rapidly  hurrying  down  the  val- 
ley, and  at  once  concluded  that  it  was  the  Indians 
on  their  return.  Posting  his  troops  along  the 
trail,  he  attacked  them  suddenly  and  with  great 
vigor ;  but  the  Apaches  fought  desperately  for 
their  lives,  seeking  cover  and  defending  them- 
selves to  the  last  extremity.  His  command  num- 
bered less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty,  but  they 
were  well  handled  and  behaved  splendidly.  In  this 
action  they  had  two  officers  and  nineteen  men 
killed,  and  three  officers  and  thirteen  men  wound- 
ed. Quite  a  number  of  the  younger  warriors  es- 
caped during  the  fight,  in  which  a  number  of 
women  and  children  were  also  killed;  but  this 
could  not  have  been  avoided,  as  they  took  cover 
with  the  warriors.  There  were  seventy-eight  dead 
118 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

Indians  on  the  field  and  thirty-three  women  and 
children  captives,  among  them  the  daughter  of 
Chief  Locos,  of  San  Carlos  Agency.  She  said  that 
her  father  and  his  people  were  compelled  to  leave 
the  agency  by  the  Chiricahua  Apaches,  who 
came  up  from  Mexico  under  command  of  Chiefs 
Chatto  and  Natchez,  and  she  corroborated  the 
statement  of  the  old  squaw  regarding  their  losses 
at  Horse  Shoe  Canon  and  in  Captain  Tupper's 
fight.  As  the  end  I  had  in  view  was  accom- 
plished, I  at  once  gave  instructions  directing  the 
three  troops  of  the  Sixth  Cavalry  to  return  to  their 
posts  in  Arizona  by  the  route  the  command  had 
entered  Mexican  territory,  while  I  was  to  move 
with  my  own  six  troops  to  New  Mexico  by  the 
shortest  practicable  route.  Finding  that  the 
Mexican  troops  were  without  surgeons  and  med- 
ical supplies,  I  tendered  the  services  of  our  sur- 
geons, which  Colonel  Garcia  was  evidently  pleased 
to  accept,  and  the  wounded  were  at  once  attended 
to  and  made  as  comfortable  as  possible  under  the 
circumstances.  I  also  presented  his  command, 
in  the  name  of  my  government,  with  some  extra 
rations  that  I  could  now  spare,  especially  as  his 
own  troops  were  on  half  rations  and  he  had  noth- 
ing with  which  to  feed  his  captives. 

I  desire  here  to  put  upon  record  my  warm  per- 
sonal admiration  for  the  splendid  work  done  by 
the  Mexican  troops  and  the  good  discipline  of  the 
119 


AN   APACHE   RAID 

command.  Colonel  Garcia  informed  me  that  so 
imperative  were  the  orders  of  his  government 
that  he  would  have  been  compelled  to  oppose  my 
further  progress  by  force,  though,  as  he  admit- 
ted, with  no  reasonable  hope  of  success  against 
my  larger  command.  Fortunately  his  brilliant 
fight  of  the  previous  day  rendered  such  an  ad- 
vance unnecessary.  He  gave  me  a  written  pro- 
test against  my  presence  on  Mexican  soil,  and  I 
submitted  a  formal  reply  in  writing,  stating  the 
reasons  I  have  already  given  for  my  being  there. 
The  officers  and  troops  of  both  republics  parted 
with  cordial  good-will,  for  this  nearly  annihilated 
band  of  Apaches  had  given  the  troops  on  both 
sides  of  the  border  many  a  hard  day's  work. 
My  command  encamped  twenty-four  miles  north 
of  the  Janos  River  that  night,  and  the  next  day 
we  passed  around  the  town  of  Janos,  where  all 
the  church-bells  were  ringing  in  honor  of  Colonel 
Garcia's  victory,  leaving  it  two  miles  on  our 
right,  my  reason  for  this  being  that  I  did  not  wish 
any  of  the  troops  to  come  into  contact  with  Mex- 
ican citizens,  fearing,  possibly,  some  trouble. 
While  passing  Janos  the  commanding  officer, 
Colonel  Nieto,  sent  me  by  courier  a  written  pro- 
test against  the  presence  of  our  troops  on  Mex- 
ican soil,  which  I  duly  acknowledged,  and  pro- 
ceeded on  my  way.  That  night  the  command 
encamped  three  miles  below  the  town  of  Ascen- 

120 


AN   APACHE    RAID 

sion,  on  the  Coralitos  River,  having  marched 
thirty-five  miles;  the  next  night  we  were  at 
Mosquito  Springs,  forty-two  miles  from  our  pre- 
vious camp,  and  the  following  day  we  recrossed 
the  line  into  our  own  territory.  So  far  as  I  know, 
only  one  man  of  my  command  had  anything  to 
do  with  the  Mexicans,  and  he  deserted  while  we 
were  encamped  near  Ascension.  This  article  is, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  first  public  report  of  my 
movements  across  the  Mexican  line,  my  district 
commander,  the  late  General  Mackenzie,  return- 
ing my  official  report  to  me,  saying  in  substance 
that,  owing  to  the  peculiar  state  of  feeling  exist- 
ing just  at  that  time  in  Mexico,  it  was  not  unlikely 
I  might  find  myself  in  trouble  for  my  action. 
However,  if  the  Mexicans  did  not  make  a  direct 
complaint  to  the  State  Department,  he  should  not 
take  action,  as  the  result  justified  the  end;  but 
the  less  said  about  it  the  better. 


SHERIDAN'S     RIDE 


SHERIDAN'S     RIDE 


"  When  I  heard  this  I  took  two  of  my  aides-de-camp, 
Major  George  A.  Forsyth  and  Captain  Joseph  O'Keeffe, 
and  with  twenty  men  from  the  escort  started  for  the  front." 
— From  the  Personal  Memoirs  of  P.  H.  Sheridan,  vol.  ii., 
chapter  iii.,  page  80. 


TN  the  summer  of  1864  I  was  on  detached  duty 
'  as  an  acting  aide  on  the  staff  of  Major-Gen- 
eral  Philip  H.  Sheridan,  then  in  command  of 
the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah.  I  was  one  of 
two  officers  who  rode  to  the  front  with  him  "  from 
Winchester  down  "  on  the  19th  of  October,  1864, 
the  day  of  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek,  and  purpose 
to  tell  the  story  of  the  ride  from  its  inception  to 
the  close  of  the  day  on  which  it  ended.  I  shall 
give,  in  sequence,  the  orders  which  practically 
compelled  his  absence  from  his  army,  show  that 
he  lost  no  time  in  returning  to  it,  and  state  in  de- 
tail his  orders  to  me  on  the  field  of  battle,  and,  to 
the  best  of  my  ability,  show  the  condition  of  af- 
fairs as  they  existed  on  his  reaching  the  army. 
If  I  am  compelled  to  give  myself  undue  promi- 
nence, please  recollect  that  on  the  field  I  was  only 
125 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

one  of  many  aides  sent  here  and  there  by  the 
commanding  general,  and  I  can  only  tell  of  what 
passed  between  us,  and  what  happened  imme- 
diately under  my  own  eye. 

It  seemed  as  though  the  campaign  in  the  valley 
of  the  Shenandoah  in  the  year  1864  was  practical- 
ly over.  Twice  within  four  days  General  Sheri- 
dan had  attacked  and  defeated  the  Confederate 
army  under  General  Early :  first,  on  the  19th  of 
September,  at  the  crossing  of  Opequon  Creek, 
in  front  of  Winchester,  Virginia,  and  again  at 
Fisher's  Hill,  twenty-two  miles  further  up  the 
valley,  on  the  226.  day  of  the  same  month.  Both 
victories  had  been  wrung  from  the  enemy  by  dint 
of  hard  fighting  and  good  judgment  on  the  part 
of  the  commanding  general  of  the  United  States 
forces,  and  his  reputation  as  the  commander  of 
an  army  was  now  seemingly  as  secure  as  the 
brilliant  record  he  had  already  made  as  a  brigade, 
division,  and  corps  commander. 

The  Federal  troops  lay  quietly  in  camp  in 
fancied  security  near  Strasburg,  just  in  rear  of 
Cedar  Creek,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Shenan- 
doah River,  and  the  shattered  forces  of  the  enemy 
were  supposed  to  be  somewhere  in  the  vicinity 
of  Gordonsville,  Virginia ;  but  the  Confederate 
general,  Jubal  A.  Early,  was  a  soldier  unused  to 
defeat,  a  bitter  enemy  and  a  desperate  foe,  and, 
as  later  events  went  to  show,  an  officer  willing 
126 


SHERIDAN'S    RIDE 

to  risk  his  all  on  the  mere  possibility  of  regain- 
ing, by  a  sudden  and  unexpected  blow,  the  lost 
prestige  of  himself  and  army.  In  my  opinion, 
but  for  the  opportune  arrival  of  General  Sheridan 
on  the  field  of  battle,  there  is  no  reasonable  doubt 
that  he  would  have  succeeded  in  accomplishing 
his  object. 

So  well  satisfied  was  General  Grant  with  the 
result  of  General  Sheridan's  campaign  in  the 
Shenandoah  Valley  that  he  thought  he  could 
with  safety  largely  detach  from  the  Army  of  the 
Shenandoah,  and  accordingly  had  directed  that 
the  Sixth  Army  Corps  be  returned  to  its  old  place 
with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  he  also  con- 
templated withdrawing  one  division  of  the  Nine- 
teenth Army  Corps  to  another  field  of  duty.  It 
may  be  as  well  to  state  here  that  there  were  only 
two  divisions  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps  with  the 
Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  the  other  division  be- 
ing on  duty  in  Louisiana. 

Accordingly,  on  the  12th  of  October,  orders 
were  issued  directing  the  Sixth  Corps  to  march 
to  Alexandria,  Virginia,  by  the  way  of  Ashby's 
Gap,  and  on  the  13th  instant  it  started,  but  events 
developed  that  induced  General  Sheridan  to  be- 
lieve that  it  was  possible  that  General  Early 
had  been  reinforced,  and  he  ordered  it  back  the 
next  day,  especially  as  in  addition  to  said  de- 
velopments he  received  the  following  telegram 
127 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

from  General  Halleck,  the  Chief  of  Staff  of  the 
Army: 

Washington,  D.  C,  October  12, 1864—12  m. 

Major-General  Sheridan,  Strasburg  ';. 

General  Grant  wishes  a  position  taken  far  enough  south 
to  serve  as  a  base  for  future  operations  upon  Gordonsville 
and  Charlottesville.  It  must  be  strongly  fortified  and  pro- 
visioned. Some  point  in  the  vicinity  of  Manassas  Gap 
would  seem  best  suited  for  all  purposes.  Colonel  Alex- 
ander, of  the  Engineers,  will  be  sent  to  consult  with  you 
as  soon  as  you  connect  with  General  Augur. 

H.  W.  Halleck, 
Major-General  and  Chief  of  Staff. 

He  informed  the  Chief  of  Staff  of  his  action 
regarding  this  corps  in  the  following  despatch  : 

Cedar  Creek,  Va., 

October  13,  1864 — 9.30  A.M. 
Maj.  Gen.  H.  W.  Halleck,  Chief  of  Staff  : 

Your  telegram  dated  12  M.  October  12th  received.  If  any 
advance  is  to  be  made  on  Gordonsville  and  Charlottesville, 
it  is  not  best  to  send  troops  away  from  my  command,  and 
I  have  therefore  countermanded  the  order  directing  the  Sixth 
Corps  to  march  to  Alexandria.  I  will  go  over  and  see  General 
Augur  and  Colonel  Alexander,  and  communicate  with  you 
from  Rectortown. 

P.  H.  Sheridan,  Major-General. 

And  also  despatched  General  Augur  as  follows : 

Cedar  Creek,  October  13,  1864. 
GENERAL, — News   received  from   Washington  since  I 
wrote  you  last  night  makes  it  necessary  for  you  to  hold  on 
to  your  present  position  at  Rectortown.     I  will  try  and  get 
over  and  see  you  either  this  evening  or  to-morrow. 

P.  H.  Sheridan. 
128 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

On  the  14th  he  received  the  two  following  tele- 
grams : 

War  Department,  Washington,  D.  G, 
October  13,  1864. 
Major-General  Sheridan 

{Care  of  General  Augur)  5 
If  you  can  come  here  a  consultation  on  several  points 
is  extremely  desirable.     I  propose  to  visit  General  Grant, 
and  would  like  to  see  you  first. 

EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War. 

Washington,  D.  C,  October  13, 1864— 5  P.M. 
(Via  Rectortown  and  Harper's  Ferry.) 
Major-General  Sheridan,  Cedar  Creek  § 

The  Secretary  of  War  wishes  you  to  come  to  Washington 
for  consultation  if  you  can  safely  leave  your  command. 
General  Grant's  wishes  about  holding  a  position  up  the 
valley  as  a  basis  against  Gordonsville,  etc.,  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  wagoning  supplies  in  the  winter,  may  change  your 
views  about  the  Manassas  Gap  road. 

H.  W.  Halleck, 
Major-General  and  Chief  of  Staff. 

The  same  day  he  wrote  General  Augur  as  fol- 
lows: 

Cedar  Creek,  October  14,  1864—3.30  p.m. 
Major-General  Augur,  Rectortown  .1 

GENERAL, — I  got  ready  to  go  over  and  see  you  yesterday, 
and  was  on  the  point  of  starting  when  a  force  of  rebel  caval- 
ry made  its  appearance  in  my  front.  I  had  sent  a  brigade, 
700  strong,  to  go  across  the  Shenandoah  to  establish  a  sig- 
nal-station on  the  mountains  to  the  left  of  Strasburg.  The 
rebel  cavalry  opened  three  pieces  of  artillery  on  the  party. 
I  started  a  cavalry  division  across  the  creek  on  the  Back 
road,  and  Crook  sent  a  small  division  over  towards  Fisher's 
Hill  for  the  purpose  of  developing  the  enemy's  force.  Up 
to  that  time  he  had  shown  nothing  but  cavalry.  As  Crook 's 
I  129 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

force  pushed  out,  after  crossing  the  creek  toward  Strasburg, 
the  enemy  moved  out  a  strong  infantry  line  of  battle. 
After  skirmishing  for  some  time,  Crook's  command  fell 
back  to  the  north  side  of  the  creek.  The  indications  last 
night  were  that  the  enemy  were  in  force — infantry  and 
cavalry,  with  artillery.  The  Sixth  Army  Corps,  which 
started  yesterday  morning  to  march  to  Alexandria,  was 
stopped  and  ordered  back  to  Front  Royal.  It  did  not  suc- 
ceed in  reaching  Front  Royal  last  night,  but  camped  at 
Millwood.  This  corps  was  ordered  up  here  this  A.M., 
and  reached  this  point  about  12  M.  to-day.  During  the 
night  the  enemy  fell  back.  I  had  made  arrangements  to 
attack.  I  have  not  as  yet  made  up  my  mind  as  to  the 
intention  of  the  enemy  in  making  this  move.  I  rather  think 
that  Early  expected  to  find  only  Crook's  command  here. 
He  was  under  the  impression  that  I  had  gone  over  to  the 
Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad,  to  operate  on  that  line. 
Colonel  Powell's  division  of  cavalry  is  at  Front  Royal. 
You  had  better  continue  your  work  on  the  railroad.  If  re- 
quired, I  will  send  over  more  troops.  I  am  very  anxious 
to  see  you,  and  will  try  to  get  over  to  see  you  as  soon  as  I 
possibly  can.  P.  H.  SHERIDAN,  Major-General. 

The  earnest  desire  for  his  presence  in  Washing- 
ton is  evident  from  the  following  telegram : 

War  Department,  Washington, 
October  14,  1864. 
Major-General  Augur,  Rectortown  § 

Has  General  Sheridan  reached  you  yet? 

Edwin  M.  Stanton, 

Secretary  of  War. 

On  the  15th  of  October  I  was  directed  by  Colonel 

J.  W.  Forsyth,  General  Sheridan's  chief  of  staff, 

to  accompany  the  commanding  general,  but  I  had 

no  idea  where  he  was  going,  and  I  had  learned 

130 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

that  it  was  useless  to  ask  questions.  I  found, 
however,  that  only  four  of  the  staff  were  to  go 
with  him,  viz.,  Colonel  J.  W.  Forsyth,  Captains 
M.  V.  Sheridan  and  Joseph  O'Keeffe,  and  myself. 
We  took  the  road  to  Front  Royal,  accompanied 
by  a  large  body  of  cavalry,  and  stopped  at  a 
farm-house  that  night.  The  next  morning  we 
again  took  up  the  march  to  Front  Royal.  While 
stopping  near  this  place  the  general  received 
from  General  Wright  the  following  despatch : 

Headquarters  Middle  Military  Division, 

October  16,  1864. 
Major-General  P.H.  Sheridan, 

Commanding  Middle  Military  Division  2 
GENERAL, — I  enclose  you  despatch,  which  explains  itself. 
If  the  enemy  should  be  strongly  reinforced  in  cavalry,  he 
might,  by  turning  our  right,  give  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble. 
I  shall  hold  on  here  until  the  enemy's  movements  are  devel- 
oped, and  shall  only  fear  an  attack  on  my  right,  which  I 
shall  make  every  preparation  for  guarding  against  and  re- 
sisting. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 
H.  G.  Wright, 
Major-General,  Commanding. 

[Enclosure.] 
"Lieutenant-General  Early  ,1 

Be  ready  to  move  as  soon  as  my  forces  join  you,  and  we 
will  crush  Sheridan. 

LONGSTREET,  Lieutenant-General. 

This  message  was  taken  off  the  rebel  signal- 
flag  on  Three-Top  Mountain. 
He  replied  to  it  as  follows : 
131 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

Headquarters  Middle  Military  Division, 
Front  Royal,  October  16,  1864. 
Major-General  H.  G.  Wright, 

Commanding  Sixth  Army  Corps  ; 
GENERAL, — The  cavalry  is  all  ordered  back  to  you; 
make  your  position  strong.  If  Longstreet's  despatch  is 
true,  he  is  under  the  impression  that  we  have  largely  de- 
tached. I  will  go  over  to  Augur,  and  may  get  additional 
news.  Close  in  Colonel  Powell,  who  will  be  at  this  point.  If 
the  enemy  should  make  an  advance,  I  know  you  will  defeat 
him.  Look  well  to  your  ground  and  be  well  prepared.  Get 
up  everything  that  can  be  spared.  I  will  bring  up  all  I  can, 
and  will  be  up  on  Tuesday,  if  not  sooner. 

P.  H.  Sheridan,  Major-General. 

From  this  place  we  proceeded  to  Rectortown, 
arriving  there  about  noon.  The  following  tele- 
graphic despatches  are  self-explanatory: 

Washington,  D.  C,  October  16, 1864. 

Major-General  Augur,  Rectortown  s 

It  is  impossible  to  say  how  far  the  road  is  to  be  repaired 
till  we  can  have  an  interview  with  General  Sheridan. 

H.  W.  HALLECK, 
Major-General  and  Chief  of  Staff. 

Rectortown,  Va.,  October  16,  1864. 
Major-General  Halleck,  Chief  of  Staff ; 
General  Sheridan  just  arrived  here. 

C.  C.  AUGUR,  Major-General. 

Rectortown,  Va.,  October  16, 1864— 1.50  p.m. 

Major-General  Halleck,  Chief  of  Staff  % 

I  have  no  cipher  clerk  here.     An   intercepted  signal  de- 
spatch would  indicate  that  Longstreet  was  marching  to  join 
Early  with  considerable  force,  and  was  not  far  off.     Have 
you  heard  that  any  rebel  force  has  been  detached  from 
132 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

Richmond?     Cipher  despatches  sent  me  yesterday  or  day 
before,  via  this  place,  were  lost. 

P.  H.  SHERIDAN,  Major-General. 

Washington,  D.  C,  October  16,  1864—4  p.m. 
Major-General  Sheridan,  Rectortown  3 

General  Grant  says  that  Longstreet  brought  with  him  no 
troops  from  Richmond,  but  I  have  very  little  confidence  in 
the  information  collected  at  his  headquarters.  If  you  can 
leave  your  command  with  safety,  come  to  Washington,  as 
I  wish  to  give  you  the  views  of  the  authorities  here. 

H.  W.  Halleck, 
Major-General  and  Chief  of  Staff. 

From  the  above  despatches  it  will  be  seen  that 
General  Sheridan  could  not  well  ignore  the  re- 
quest of  the  Chief  of  Staff  of  the  Army  and  of 
the  Secretary  of  War  to  go  to  Washington.  In 
fact,  the  statement  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  that 
he  was  only  awaiting  his  (Sheridan's)  arrival 
in  order  to  confer  with  him  prior  to  taking  his  own 
departure  to  confer  with  General  Grant,  practical- 
ly settled  the  question.  We  pushed  on  from  Rec- 
tortown, through  Manassas  Gap,  to  the  terminus 
of  the  railroad  then  being  in  process  of  recon- 
struction, where  we  took  the  cars,  with  our  re- 
spective mounts,  for  Washington,  reaching  the 
city  at  a  fairly  early  hour  in  the  morning  of  the 
17th  instant.  After  a  hasty  breakfast  at  Willard's 
Hotel,  General  Sheridan  went  at  once  to  the  War 
Department,  and  had  a  lengthy  interview  with 
the  Chief  of  Staff  of  the  Army  and  the  officials  of 
133 


SHERIDAN'S  RIDE 

the  War  Department,  returning  to  the  hotel  short- 
ly after  twelve  o'clock.  We  had  lunch  on  his 
arrival,  and  then  went  immediately  to  the  Bal- 
timore and  Ohio  depot,  where  a  special  train  was 
awaiting  us,  and  at  once  started  for  Martinsburg. 
This  train  was  provided  by  order  of  the  War  De- 
partment at  General  Sheridan's  especial  request, 
in  order  that  no  unnecessary  time  should  be  lost 
in  his  return  to  the  army.  The  Chief  of  Staff 
of  the  Army  sent  the  following  despatch  regard- 
ing the  interview  to  General  Grant : 

Washington,  October  17, 1864—12.30  p.m. 

Lieutenant-General  Grant,  City  Point  B 

General  Sheridan  has  just  been  here.  He  has  not  yet 
fully  decided  about  the  Manassas  road,  but  will  do  so  in  a 
day  or  two.  He  has  gone  back,  with  Colonels  Alexander 
and  Thorn,  to  make  a  fuller  reconnoissance.  .  .  . 

H.  W.  Halleck, 
Major-General  and  Chief  of  Staff. 

We  arrived  at  Martinsburg  after  dark,  where 
we  found  an  escort  which  had  been  ordered  there 
to  meet  us.*  Early  the  next  morning  we  started 
by  the  valley  turnpike  for  Winchester,  twenty- 
eight  miles  distant,  reaching  there  about  three  in 
the  afternoon.  We  had  with  us  on  the  ride  Colo- 
nels Alexander  and  Thorn,  of  the  Engineer  Corps, 
who  had  accompanied  the  general  from  Washing- 

*  Captain  M.  V.  Sheridan  was  left  at  this  place  to  bring  to 
the  front  some  members  of  Congress  who  were  coming  up  to 
visit  the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah. 

134 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

ton  under  special  instructions  from  the  War  De- 
partment. 

After  lunch  at  the  headquarters  of  Colonel  Oli- 
ver Edwards,  who  was  in  command  at  Winches- 
ter, I  accompanied  General  Sheridan  and  Colonels 
Alexander  and  Thorn  on  an  extended  and  care- 
ful survey  of  the  country  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity of  the  town.  We  rode  over  the  ground  thor- 
oughly, and  it  was  dark  ere  we  returned.  I 
heard  the  matter  of  Winchester,  as  an  available 
point  of  defence  in  case  the  Army  of  the  Shenan- 
doah was  heavily  depleted  of  its  infantry,  dis- 
cussed freely;  but  I  do  not  think  the  consensus 
of  opinion  was  in  its  favor.  Immediately  on  his 
arrival  at  Colonel  Edwards's  headquarters,  Gen- 
eral Sheridan  had  sent  a  despatch  by  courier  to 
General  Wright,  at  Cedar  Creek,  notifying  him  of 
his  return  thus  far,  and  requesting  any  informa- 
tion of  importance  be  sent  him.  During  the 
evening  a  courier  brought  word  from  General 
Wright  saying  that  all  was  quiet,  and  that 
he  had  ordered  a  strong  reconnoissance  to  go 
and  develop  the  enemy's  position.  So  we  all 
went  to  bed  without  any  thought  of  what 
awaited  us. 

In  the  morning,  about  daylight,  word  was 
brought  from  the  picket-line  south  of  Winches- 
ter of  heavy  firing  at  the  front.  General  Sheridan 
interviewed  the  officer  who  brought  the  informa- 
135 


SHERIDAN'S  RIDE 

tion,  and  decided  that  it  must  be  the  result  of  the 
reconnoissance  that  General  Wright  had  notified 
him  the  night  before  was  to  take  place  this  morn- 
ing. Little  apprehension  was  occasioned  by  the 
report.  After  breakfast,  probably  nearly  or  quite 
nine  o'clock,  we  mounted  and  rode  at  a  walk 
through  the  town  of  Winchester  to  Mill  Creek,  a 
mile  south  of  the  village,  where  we  found  our  es- 
cort awaiting  us. 

We  could  occasionally  hear  the  far-away 
sound  of  heavy  guns,  and  as  we  moved  out  with 
our  escort  behind  us  I  thought  that  the  general 
was  becoming  anxious.  He  leaned  forward  and 
listened  intently,  and  once  he  dismounted  and 
placed  his  ear  near  the  ground,  seeming  some- 
what disconcerted  as  he  rose  again  and  remount- 
ed. We  had  not  gone  far,  probably  not  more 
than  a  mile,  when,  at  the  crest  of  a  little  hill  on 
the  road,  we  found  the  pike  obstructed  by  some 
supply-trains  which  had  started  on  their  way  to 
the  army.  They  were  now  halted,  and  seemingly 
in  great  confusion.  Part  of  the  wagons  faced 
one  way,  part  the  other ;  others  were  half  turned 
round,  in  position  to  swing  either  way,  but 
were  huddled  together,  completely  blocking  the 
road. 

Turning  to  me,  the  general  said,  "  Ride  for- 
ward quickly  and  find  out  the  trouble  here,  and 
report  promptly."  I  rode  rapidly  to  the  head  of 
136 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

the  train  and  asked  for  the  quartermaster  in 
charge,  and  was  told  he  had  gone  up  the  road  a 
short  distance. 

On  reaching  him,  I  found  him  conversing  with 
a  quartermaster-sergeant.  They  informed  me 
that  an  officer  had  come  from  the  front  and  told 
them  to  go  back  at  once,  as  our  army  had  been 
attacked  at  daylight,  defeated,  and  was  being 
driven  down  the  valley.  The  officer,  they  said, 
had  gone  back  towards  the  front  after  warning 
them  to  come  no  further. 

Galloping  back,  I  made  my  report.  "  Pick 
out  fifty  of  the  best-mounted  men  from  the  es- 
cort," was  the  response.  Riding  down  the  col- 
umn, with  the  aid  of  one  of  the  officers  of  the  regi- 
ment, this  was  soon  accomplished,  and  I  reported 
with  the  selected  men.  Turning  to  his  chief  of 
staff,  Colonel  J.  W.  Forsyth,  the  general  said 
something  regarding  certain  instructions  he  had 
evidently  been  giving  him,  and  then  said  to  me, 
*  You  and  Captain  O'Keeffe  will  go  with  me ;" 
and  nodding  good-bye  to  the  other  gentlemen  of 
our  party,  with  whom  he  had  probably  been  con- 
ferring while  I  was  making  up  the  cavalry  detail, 
he  turned  his  horse's  head  southward,  tighten- 
ing the  reins  of  his  bridle,  and  with  a  slight  touch 
of  the  spur  he  dashed  up  the  turnpike  and  was 
off.  A  yard  in  rear,  and  side  by  side,  Captain 
O'Keeffe  and  myself  swept  after  him,  while 
i37 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

the  escort,  breaking  from  a  trot  to  a  gallop,  came 
thundering  on  behind. 

The  distance  from  Winchester  to  Cedar  Creek, 
on  the  north  bank  of  which  the  Army  of  the 
Shenandoah  lay  encamped,  is  a  little  less  than 
nineteen  miles.  The  general  direction  was  west 
of  south,  and  the  road  to  it,  by  way  of  the  valley 
pike,  ran  directly  through  the  road-side  hamlets 
of  Milltown,  Kearnstown,  Newtown,  and  Middle- 
town.  Our  army  was  encamped  four  miles  south 
of  Middletown.  The  Shenandoah  Valley  turn- 
pike, over  which  we  were  now  speeding,  was  for- 
merly a  well-built  macadamized  road,  laid  in 
crushed  limestone,  and  until  the  advent  of  the 
war  had  been  kept  in  excellent  condition.  Even 
now,  though  worn  for  three  years  past  by  the 
tread  of  contending  armies  with  all  the  parapher- 
nalia of  war  as  they  swept  up  and  down  the  val- 
ley, it  was  a  fairly  good  road ;  but  the  army  sup- 
ply -  trains,  ammunition  -  wagons,  and  artillery 
had  worn  it  into  deep  ruts  in  places,  and  every- 
where the  dust  lay  thick  and  heavy  on  its  sur- 
face, and  powdered  the  trees  and  bushes  that 
fringed  its  sides,  so  that  our  galloping  column 
sent  a  gray  cloud  swirling  behind  us.  It  was  a 
golden  sunny  day  that  had  succeeded  a  densely 
foggy  October  morning.  The  turnpike  stretched 
away,  a  white,  dusty  line,  over  hill  and  through 
dale,  bordered  by  fenceless  fields,  and  past  farm- 
138 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

houses  and  empty  barns  and  straggling  orchards. 
Now  and  then  it  ran  through  a  woody  copse, 
with  here  and  there  a  tiny  stream  of  water  cross- 
ing it,  or  meandering  by  its  side,  so  clear  and 
limpid  that  it  seemed  to  invite  us  to  pause  and 
slake  our  thirst  as  we  sped  along  our  dusty  way. 
On  either  side  we  saw,  through  the  Indian-sum- 
mer haze,  the  distant  hills  covered  with  woods 
and  fairly  ablaze  with  foliage ;  and  over  all  was 
the  deep  blue  of  a  cloudless  Southern  sky,  mak- 
ing it  a  day  on  which  one's  blood  ran  riot  and  he 
was  glad  of  health  and  life. 

Within  a  mile  we  met  more  supply-trains  that 
had  turned  back,  and  the  general  stopped  long 
enough  to  order  the  officer  in  charge  to  halt,  park 
his  trains  just  where  he  was,  and  await  further 
instructions.  Then  on  we  dashed  again,  only  to 
meet,  within  a  few  moments,  more  supply-trains 
hurrying  to  the  rear.  The  general  did  not  stop, 
but  signalling  the  officer  in  charge  to  join  him, 
gave  him  instructions  on  the  gallop  to  park  his 
train  at  once,  and  use  his  escort  to  arrest  and  stop 
all  stragglers  coming  from  the  army,  and  to  send 
back  to  the  front  all  well  men  who  might  drift 
to  him,  under  guard  if  necessary. 

Scarcely  had  we  parted  from  him  and  sur- 
mounted the  next  rise  in  the  road  when  we  came 
suddenly  upon  indubitable  evidence  of  battle  and 
retreat.  About  a  mile  in  advance  of  us  the  road 
i39 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

was  filled  and  the  fields  dotted  with  wagons  and 
men  belonging  to  the  various  brigade,  division, 
and  corps  headquarters,  and  in  among  them  of- 
ficers' servants  with  led  horses,  and  here  and 
there  a  broken  ambulance,  sutlers'  supply-trains, 
a  battery  forge  or  two,  horses  and  mules  hastily 
packed  with  officers'  mess  kits,  led  by  their  cooks, 
and  now  and  then  a  group  of  soldiers,  evidently 
detailed  enlisted  men  attached  to  the  headquarters 
trains.  In  fact,  this  was  the  first  driftwood  of 
a  flood  just  beyond  and  soon  to  come  sweeping 
down  the  road.  Passing  this  accumulation  of 
debris  with  a  rush  by  leaving  the  pike  and  gallop- 
ing over  the  open  fields  on  the  side  of  the  road, 
we  pushed  rapidly  on ;  but  not  so  quickly  but  that 
we  caught  an  echoing  cheer  from  the  enlisted 
men  and  servants,  who  recognized  the  general, 
and  shouted  and  swung  their  hats  in  glee. 

Within  the  next  few  miles  the  pike  and  adja- 
cent fields  began  to  be  lined  and  dotted  every- 
where with  army  wagons,  sutlers'  outfits,  head- 
quarters supply  -  trains,  disabled  caissons,  and 
teamsters  with  led  mules,  all  drifting  to  the  rear ; 
and  now  and  then  a  wounded  officer  or  enlisted 
man  on  horseback  or  plodding  along  on  foot, 
with  groups  of  straggling  soldiers  here  and  there 
among  the  wagon-trains,  or  in  the  fields,  or 
sometimes  sitting  or  lying  down  to  rest  by  the 
side  of  the  road,  while  others  were  making  coffee 
140 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

in  their  tin  cups  by  tiny  camp-fires.  Soon  we  be- 
gan to  see  small  bodies  of  soldiers  in  the  fields 
with  stacked  arms,  evidently  cooking  breakfast. 
As  we  debouched  into  the  fields  and  passed  around 
the  wagons  and  through  these  groups,  the  gen- 
eral would  wave  his  hat  to  the  men  and  point  to  the 
front,  never  lessening  his  speed  as  he  pressed  for- 
ward. It  was  enough;  one  glance  at  the  eager 
face  and  familiar  black  horse  and  they  knew  him, 
and  starting  to  their  feet,  they  swung  their  caps 
around  their  heads  and  broke  into  cheers  as  he 
passed  beyond  them;  and  then,  gathering  up 
their  belongings  and  shouldering  their  arms, 
they  started  after  him  for  the  front,  shouting  to 
their  comrades  further  out  in  the  fields,  *  Sheri- 
dan !  Sheridan  \"  waving  their  hats,  and  pointing 
after  him  as  he  dashed  onward;  and  they  too 
comprehended  instantly,  for  they  took  up  the 
cheer  and  turned  back  for  the  battle-field. 

To  the  best  of  my  recollection,  from  the  time 
we  met  the  first  stragglers  who  had  drifted  back 
from  the  army,  his  appearance  and  his  cheery 
shout  of  "  Turn  back,  men  !  turn  back !  Face 
the  other  way!"  as  he  waved  his  hat  towards  the 
front,  had  but  one  result :  a  wild  cheer  of  recog- 
nition, an  answering  wave  of  the  cap.  In  no 
case,  as  I  glanced  back,  did  I  fail  to  see  the  men 
shoulder  their  arms  and  follow  us.  I  think  it  is 
no  exaggeration  to  say  that  as  he  dashed  on  to 
141 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

the  field  of  battle,  for  miles  back  the  turnpike  was 
lined  with  men  pressing  forward  after  him  to  the 
front. 

So  rapid  had  been  our  gait  that  nearly  all  of 
the  escort,  save  the  commanding  officer  and  a 
few  of  his  best-mounted  men,  had  been  distanced, 
for  they  were  more  heavily  weighted,  and  ordi- 
nary troop  horses  could  not  live  at  such  a  pace. 
Once  we  were  safe  among  our  own  people,  their 
commander  had  the  good  sense  to  see  that  his 
services  were  no  longer  a  necessity,  and  accord- 
ingly drew  rein  and  saved  his  horses  by  follow- 
ing on  at  a  slow  trot.  Once  the  general  halted  a 
moment  to  speak  to  an  officer  he  knew  and  in- 
quire for  information.  As  he  did  so  he  turned 
and  asked  me  to  get  him  a  switch ;  for  he  usually 
rode  carrying  a  light  riding-whip,  and  further- 
more he  had  broken  one  of  the  rowels  of  his  spurs. 
Dismounting,  I  cut  one  from  a  near-by  way-side 
bush,  hastily  trimmed  it,  and  gave  it  him. 
"  Thanks,  Sandy,"  said  he,  and  as  we  started 
again  he  struck  his  splendid  black  charger  Rienzi 
a  slight  blow  across  the  shoulder  with  it,  and  he 
at  once  broke  into  that  long  swinging  gallop, 
almost  a  run,  which  he  seemed  to  maintain  so 
easily  and  so  endlessly — a  most  distressing  gait 
for  those  who  had  to  follow  far.  These  two 
words  of  thanks  were  nearly  the  only  ones  he 
addressed  to  me  until  we  reached  the  army ;  but 
142 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

my  eyes  had  sought  his  face  at  every  opportunity, 
and  my  heart  beat  high  with  hope  from  what  I 
saw  there.  As  he  galloped  on  his  features  grad- 
ually grew  set,  as  though  carved  in  stone,  and 
the  same  dull  red  glint  I  had  seen  in  his  piercing 
black  eyes  when,  on  other  occasions,  the  battle 
was  going  against  us,  was  there  now.  Occa- 
sionally Captain  O'Keeffe  and  myself  exchanged 
a  few  words,  and  we  waved  our  hats  and  shouted 
to  the  men  on  the  road  and  in  the  fields  as  we 
passed  them,  pointing  to  the  general  and  second- 
ing as  best  we  could  his  energetic  shout :  "  Turn 
back,  men!  turn  back!  Face  the  other  way!" 
Now  and  then  I  would  glance  at  the  face  of  my 
companion,  Captain  O'Keeffe,  whose  gray-blue 
eyes  fairly  danced  with  excitement  at  the  prospect 
of  the  coming  fray ;  for  if  ever  a  man  was  a  born 
soldier  and  loved  fighting  for  chivalry's  sake,  it 
was  that  gallant  young  Irish  gentleman,  Joe 
O'Keeffe.* 

Each  moment  that  we  advanced  the  road  be- 
came more  closely  clogged  with  stragglers  and 
wounded  men,  and  here  the  general  suddenly 

*  Captain  O'Keeffe  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Pope's  guard, 
and  was,  I  think,  a  relative  of  the  Bishop  of  Cork.  He 
came  to  this  country,  tendering  his  sword  to  the  govern- 
ment, and  was  made  an  aide-de-camp.  He  resigned  this 
position  to  become  Major  of  the  Second  New  York  Cavalry, 
and  was  mortally  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Five  Forks,  April 
I,  1865. 

143 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

paused  to  speak  to  one  of  the  wounded  officers, 
from  whom  I  judge  he  got  his  only  correct  idea 
of  the  attack  by  the  enemy  at  dawn,  the  crush- 
ing of  our  left,  and  the  steady  outflanking  that 
had  forced  our  army  back  to  where  it  was  at 
present,  for  I  caught  something  of  what  the  of- 
ficer said,  and  his  ideas  seemed  to  be  clear  and 
concise.  This  pause  was  a  piece  of  rare  good 
fortune  for  me,  for  my  orderly  happened  to  be  by 
the  side  of  the  road  with  my  led  horse,  and  in  a 
trice  he  changed  my  saddle,  and  I  rejoined  the 
general  ere  he  was  a  hundred  yards  away,  with 
all  the  elation  that  a  fresh  mount  after  a  weary 
one  inspires  in  the  heart  of  a  cavalryman. 

Within  a  comparatively  short  distance  we 
came  suddenly  upon  a  field-hospital  in  a  farm- 
house close  to  the  road  beyond  Newtown,  where 
the  medical  director  had  established  part  of  his 
corps.  Just  ahead  of  us  the  road  was  filled  with 
ambulances  containing  wounded  men,  who  were 
being  carried  into  the  house  to  be  operated  upon, 
while  outside  of  the  door  along  the  foot-path  lay 
several  dead  men,  who  had  been  hastily  placed 
there  on  being  taken  from  the  stretchers.  The 
vicinity  was  dotted  with  wounded  men,  sitting 
or  lying  down  or  standing  around,  waiting  to 
have  their  wounds  dressed,  while  the  surgeons 
were  flitting  here  and  there  doing  their  best  and 
straining  every  nerve  to  meet  their  necessities. 
144 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

Giving  the  place  a  wide  berth,  after  the  first 
glance,  and  galloping  around  the  line  of  ambu- 
lances that  filled  the  pike,  we  passed  through  a 
fringe  of  woods,  up  a  slight  eminence  in  the 
road,  and  in  a  flash  we  were  in  full  view  of  the 
battle-field.  It  was  a  grewsome  sight  to  meet 
the  eyes  of  a  commanding  general  who,  three 
short  days  before,  had  left  it  a  triumphant  host 
lying  quietly  in  camp,  resting  securely  on  its 
victories,  and  confident  in  its  own  strength.  And 
now! 

In  our  immediate  front  the  road  and  adjacent 
fields  were  filled  with  sections  of  artillery,  cais- 
sons, ammunition  -  trains,  ambulances,  battery- 
wagons,  squads  of  mounted  men,  led  horses, 
wounded  soldiers,  broken  wagons,  stragglers, 
and  stretcher-bearers — in  fact,  all  that  apper- 
tains to  and  is  part  of  the  rear  of  an  army  in 
action.  One  hasty  glance  as  we  galloped  for- 
ward and  we  had  taken  in  the  situation.  About 
half  or  three-quarters  of  a  mile  this  side  of  Mid- 
dletown,  with  its  left  resting  upon  the  turnpike, 
was  a  division  of  infantry  in  line  of  battle  at 
right  angles  to  the  road,  with  its  standards 
flying,  and  evidently  held  well  in  hand.  Near 
the  turnpike,  and  just  to  its  left,  one  of  our  bat- 
teries was  having  a  savage  artillery  duel  with 
a  Confederate  battery,  which  was  in  position  on 
a  little  hill  to  the  left  and  rear  of  Middletown  as 
k  145 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

we  faced  it.  To  the  left  of  this  battery  of  ours 
were  the  led  horses  of  a  small  brigade  of  cavalry, 
which  was  holding  the  ground  to  the  left  of  the 
pike,  and  both  the  infantry  and  cavalry  dis- 
mounted skirmishers  were  in  action  with  those  of 
the  enemy.  Further  to  the  left,  and  slightly  to 
the  rear,  on  a  bit  of  rising  ground,  was  another 
of  our  batteries  in  action.  Half  a  mile  to  the 
right,  and  somewhat  to  the  rear  of  the  division 
of  infantry  which  was  in  line  of  battle,  could  be 
seen  a  body  of  infantry  in  column  slowly  retiring 
and  tending  towards  the  pike;  and  just  beyond 
these  troops  was  another  body  of  infantry,  also 
in  column,  and  also  moving  in  the  same  general 
direction.  Further  to  the  right,  across  a  small 
valley,  and  more  than  a  mile  away  from  these 
last-mentioned  troops,  was  a  still  larger  force  of 
infantry,  on  a  side-hill,  facing  towards  the  ene- 
my, in  line  of  battle,  but  not  in  action.  I  looked 
in  vain  for  the  cavalry  divisions,  but  concluded 
rightly  that  they  were  somewhere  on  the  flanks 
of  the  enemy. 

Skirting  the  road,  and  avoiding  as  best  we 
might  the  impedimenta  of  battle,  the  general, 
O'Keeffe,  and  myself  spurred  forward.  Finally, 
on  the  open  road  and  just  before  we  reached  the 
troops  in  line,  which  was  Getty's  division  of  the 
Sixth  Army  Corps,  I  asked  permission  to  go  di- 
rectly down  to  the  skirmish-line  to  see  the  actual 
146 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

condition  of  things.  "  Do  so/'  replied  the  gen- 
eral, "  and  report  as  soon  as  possible."  Just 
then  we  reached  the  line,  and  as  I  glanced  back 
I  saw  the  chief  draw  rein  in  the  midst  of  the  divis- 
ion, where  he  was  greeted  by  a  storm  of  cheers 
and  wild  cries  of  "Sheridan!  Sheridan !"  while 
standards  seemed  to  spring  up  out  of  the  very- 
earth  to  greet  him.  A  few  seconds  later  and  I 
was  on  the  skirmish-line  by  the  side  of  Colonel 
Charles  R.  Lowell,  commanding  the  regular  cav- 
alry brigade. 

"  Is  Sheridan  here?" 

"Yes." 

•  Thank  goodness  for  that!" 

At  this  moment  Mr.  Stillson,  the  war  corre- 
spondent of  one  of  the  New  York  newspapers 
(who  had  risked  his  life  for  news  more  than  once, 
and  in  fact  was  doing  it  now),  rode  up  and  made 
the  same  inquiry. 

*  He  is  here,"  was  my  reply. 

"  Well?     What  is  he  going  to  do  about  it?" 
"  He's  going  to  whale  blank  out  of  them." 
"  He  can't  do  it,"  shaking  his  head. 

•  Wait,  and  you'll  see." 

*  I  wish  I  may,"  said  the  plucky  correspondent, 
"  but  I  doubt  it,"  and  he  turned  and  rode  back  to 
find  the  general. 

Turning  again  to  Colonel  Lowell,  I  eagerly 
asked  for  the  facts  about  the  battle,  well  knowing 
147 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

that  there  was  no  cooler  head  or  better  brain  in 
all  the  army,  nor  one  to  be  more  absolutely  relied 
upon.  As  we  rode  along  the  skirmish-line,  that 
I  might  get  a  better  view  of  the  enemy,  he  gave 
me  the  details  as  he  knew  them.  Then,  as  we 
watched  the  enemy  forming  his  battalions  in  the 
distance  for  another  advance,  I  put  the  question  : 

*  Can  you  hold  on  here  forty  minutes?" 
-  Yes." 

"  Can  you  make  it  sixty?" 

*  It  depends ;  you  see  what  they  are  doing.  I 
will  if  I  can." 

"  Hold  on  as  long  as  possible,"  said  I ;  and 
turning,  I  rode  rapidly  back  to  my  chief,  whom  I 
found  dismounted,  surrounded  by  several  gen- 
eral officers,  and  in  the  midst  of  those  of  his  staff 
who  had  not  gone  with  us  to  Washington.  Dis- 
mounting, I  saluted.  Stepping  on  one  side  from 
the  group,  he  faced  me,  and  said, 

"  Well?" 

"  You  see  where  we  are?"  (A  nod.)  "  Lowell 
says  that  our  losses,  killed,  wounded,  and  miss- 
ing, are  between  three  and  five  thousand,  and 
more  than  twenty  guns,  to  say  nothing  of  trans- 
portation. He  thinks  he  can  hold  on  where  he 
is  for  forty  minutes  longer,  possibly  sixty." 

I  can  see  him  before  me  now  as  I  write,  erect, 
looking  intently  in  my  eyes,  his  left  hand  rest- 
ing, clinched  savagely,  on  the  top  of  the  hilt  of 
148 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

his  sabre,  his  right  nervously  stroking  his  chin, 
his  eyes  with  that  strange  red  gleam  in  them, 
and  his  attenuated  features  set  as  if  cast  in  bronze. 
He  stood  mute  and  absolutely  still  for  more  than 
ten  seconds;  then,  throwing  up  his  head,  he 
said: 

"  Go  to  the  right  and  find  the  other  two  divis- 
ions of  the  Sixth  Corps,  and  also  General  Em- 
ory's command  [the  two  divisions  of  the  Nine- 
teenth Corps].  Bring  them  up,  and  order  them 
to  take  position  on  the  right  of  Getty.  Lose  no 
time."  And  as  I  turned  to  mount,  he  called  out : 
"Stay!  Fll  go  with  you!"  And  springing  on 
his  horse,  we  set  off  together,  followed  by  the 
staff. 

Riding  up  closely  to  him,  I  said,  "  Pardon  me, 
general,  but  I  think  if  I  had  control  of  a  division 
I  could  do  good  work  here." 

Looking  me  squarely  in  the  eyes  for  a  few 
seconds,  he  replied :  "  Do  you?  Perhaps  I'll  give 
you  control  of  more  than  that." 

Not  another  word  was  said,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments we  had  reached  the  head  of  the  nearest 
division  we  were  seeking.  It  was  ordered  on  the 
line — I  think  by  the  general  himself;  and  as  I 
started  for  the  head  of  the  other  division,  he  or- 
dered me  to  ride  directly  over  to  General  Emory's 
command  (two  divisions  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps), 
and  order  it  up,  to  take  position  in  line  of  battle 
149 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

on  the  right  of  the  Sixth  Corps.  I  rode  over  to 
General  Emory's  line,  which  was  about  a  mile 
away,  and  found  his  troops  in  good  condition, 
though  somewhat  shattered  by  the  fortunes  of  the 
day,  facing  towards  the  enemy,  and  half  covered 
by  small  ledges  of  rock  that  cropped  out  of  the 
hill-side.  On  receiving  the  order,  he  called  my 
attention  to  the  fact  that  in  case  the  enemy  ad- 
vanced on  the  Sixth  Corps,  he  would  be  nearly 
on  their  flank,  and  thought  best  that  I  apprise 
the  commanding  general  of  the  fact,  as  it  might 
induce  him  to  modify  the  order.  Galloping 
back,  I  gave  his  suggestion  to  the  general. 

"  No,  no  !  "  he  replied.  "  Get  him  over  at  once 
— at  once  I     Don't  lose  a  moment!" 

I  fairly  tore  back,  and  the  troops  were  promptly 
put  in  motion  for  their  new  position,  which  they 
reached  in  due  time,  and  were  formed  in  line  of 
battle  in  accordance  with  General  Sheridan's 
orders." 

After  the  whole  line  was  thoroughly  formed, 
I  rode  over  to  my  chief  and  urged  him  to  ride  down 

*  I  found  General  Sheridan  standing  on  the  line  of  battle 
on  the  pike  at  the  junction  of  General  Getty's  division 
of  the  Sixth  Corps  and  the  remnant  of  the  Army  of  West 
Virginia,  or  what  was  called  the  Eighth  Corps.  In  the 
group  of  officers  who  were  standing  around  him  were 
General  R.  B.  Hayes  and  Lieutenant  WilHam  McKinley, 
both  of  whom  have  since  been  President  of  the  United 
States. 

150 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

it,  that  all  the  men  might  see  him,  and  know 
without  doubt  that  he  had  returned  and  assumed 
command.  At  first  he  demurred,  but  I  was  most 
urgent,  as  I  knew  that  in  some  instances  both 
men  and  officers  who  had  not  seen  him  doubted 
his  arrival.  His  appearance  was  greeted  by  tre- 
mendous cheers  from  one  end  of  the  line  to  the 
other,  many  of  the  officers  pressing  forward  to 
shake  his  hand.  He  spoke  to  them  all,  cheerily 
and  confidently,  saying  :  "  We  are  going  back  to 
our  camps,  men,  never  fear.  I'll  get  a  twist  on 
these  people  yet.  Well  raise  them  out  of  their 
boots  before  the  day  is  over." 

At  no  time  did  I  hear  him  utter  that  *  terrible 
oath  "  so  often  alluded  to  in  both  prose  and  poetry 
in  connection  with  this  day's  work. 

As  we  turned  to  go  back  from  the  end  of  the 
line,  he  halted  on  the  line  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps 
and  said  to  me :  "  Stay  here  and  help  fight  this 
corps.  I  will  send  orders  to  General  Emory 
through  you.  Give  orders  in  my  name,  if  neces- 
sary.    Stay  right  on  this  line  with  it." 

"Very  good,  general,"  was  my  reply;  and 
the  general  and  staff  left  me  there  and  galloped 
towards  the  pike. 

It  must  have  been  nearly  or  quite  half-past 

twelve  o'clock  by  this  time,  and  as  soon  as  the 

skirmishers  were  thrown  forward  the  troops  were 

ordered  to  lie  down ;  an  order  gladly  obeyed,  for 

151 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

they  had  been  on  their  feet  since  daylight,  fight- 
ing and  without  food.  They  were  to  have  but 
a  short  period  of  rest,  however,  for  in  a  few  mo- 
ments the  low  rustling  murmur,  that  presages 
the  advance  of  a  line  of  battle  through  dense 
woods  (the  Nineteenth  Corps  was  formed  just  at 
the  outer  edge  of  a  belt  of  heavy  timber)  began 
to  make  itself  felt,  and  in  a  moment  the  men 
were  in  line  again.  A  pattering  fire  in  front, 
and  our  skirmishers  came  quickly  back  through 
the  woods,  and  were  absorbed  in  the  line;  then 
there  was  a  momentary  lull,  followed  by  a  rus- 
tling, crunching  sound  as  the  enemy's  line 
pressed  forward,  trampling  the  bushes  under 
foot,  and  crowding  through  bits  of  underbrush. 

In  a  flash  we  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  long  gray 
line  stretching  away  through  the  woods  on  either 
side  of  us,  advancing  with  waving  standards, 
with  here  and  there  a  mounted  officer  in  rear  of 
it.  At  the  same  instant  the  dark  blue  line  at 
the  edge  of  the  woods  seemed  to  burst  upon  their 
view,  for  suddenly  they  halted,  and  with  a  pierc- 
ing yell  poured  in  a  heavy  volley,  that  was  al- 
most instantly  answered  from  our  side,  and  then 
volleys  seemed  fairly  to  leap  from  one  end  to  the 
other  of  our  line,  and  a  steady  roar  of  musketry 
from  both  sides  made  the  woods  echo  again  in 
every  direction.  Gradually,  however,  the  sounds 
became  less  heavy  and  intense,  the  volleys  slowly 
152 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

died  away,  and  we  began  to  recognize  the  fact 
that  the  enemy's  bullets  were  no  longer  clipping 
the  twigs  above  us,  and  that  their  fire  had  about 
ceased,  while  a  ringing  cheer  along  our  front 
proclaimed  that  for  the  first  time  that  day  the 
Confederate  army  had  been  repulsed. 

During  the  attack  my  whole  thought,  and  I 
believe  that  of  every  officer  on  the  line,  had  been 
to  prevent  our  troops  from  giving  way.  In  one 
or  two  places  the  line  wavered  slightly,  but  the 
universal  shout  of  "Steady,  men,  steady,  steady!" 
as  the  field-officers  rode  up  and  down  the  line, 
seemed  to  be  all  that  was  needed  to  inspire  the 
few  nervous  ones  with  renewed  courage  and  hold 
them  well  up  to  their  work.  As  for  myself,  I 
was  more  than  satisfied,  for  only  years  of  per- 
sonal experience  in  war  enable  a  man  to  appre- 
ciate at  its  actual  value  the  tremendous  gain 
when  a  routed  army  turns,  faces,  and  checks  a 
triumphant  enemy  in  the  open  field.  It  is  a  great 
thing  to  do  it  with  the  aid  of  reinforcements;  it 
is  a  glorious  thing  to  do  it  without. 

For  a  few  moments  the  men  stood  leaning  on 
their  arms,  and  some  of  us  mounted  officers  rode 
slowly  forward,  anxiously  peering  through  the 
trees,  but  save  for  a  dead  man  or  two  there  was 
no  sign  of  the  enemy ;  the  Confederates  had  fallen 
back.  Word  was  passed  back  to  the  line,  and  the 
men  were  ordered  to  lie  down,  which  they  willing- 
i53 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

ly  did.  I  rode  slowly  up  and  down  the  line  of  the 
Nineteenth  Corps,  and  after  a  few  moments  grew 
impatient  for  orders,  for  as  a  cavalryman  my 
first  thought,  after  the  repulse  of  the  enemy,  was 
a  countercharge.  The  minutes  crept  slowly  by, 
and  nothing  came,  not  even  an  aide  for  informa- 
tion. Twenty  minutes  elapsed,  thirty,  forty, 
fifty,  and  I  could  wait  no  longer,  but  galloped 
to  army  headquarters,  which  I  found  to  the  right 
of  the  turnpike,  about  two  hundred  yards  in  rear 
of  the  Sixth  Corps.  Dismounting,  I  went  up  and 
saluted  the  commanding  general,  who  was  half 
lying  down,  with  his  head  resting  on  his  right 
hand,  his  elbow  on  the  ground,  and  surrounded 
by  most  of  his  staff.  Colonel  J.  W.  Forsyth,  his 
chief  of  staff,  as  well  as  Colonels  Alexander  and 
Thorn  of  the  Engineer  Corps,  were  with  him,  hav- 
ing reached  the  field  since  I  had  been  on  the  line 
with  the  Nineteenth  Corps. 

"Well,  what  is  it?"  said  the  general. 

"  It  seems  to  me,  general,  that  we  ought  to  ad- 
vance ;  I  have  come  hoping  for  orders. "  He  half 
sat  up,  and  the  black  eyes  flashed.  I  realized 
that  I  had  laid  myself  open  to  censure ;  but  grad- 
ually an  amused  look  overshadowed  the  anxious 
face,  and  the  chief  slowly  shook  his  head. 

"  Not  yet,  not  yet ;  go  back  and  wait." 

I  saluted,  mounted,  and  rode  leisurely  back, 
cogitating  as  I  went.     I  knew  that  there  must 
154 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

be  some  good  reason  for  the  delay,  but  as  yet  I 
was  unable  to  fathom  it.  Reaching  the  rear  of 
the  centre  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps,  I  found  a 
shady  spot,  and  dismounting,  sat  down  on  the 
ground  just  back  of  the  line,  holding  my  horse's 
bridle  in  my  hand,  for  I  had  no  orderly  with  me. 
Very  soon  I  became  interested  in  watching  the 
various  phases  of  the  situation  as  they  devel- 
oped before  me,  and  I  soon  saw  one  reason  for 
delay,  and  that  was  that  we  were  steadily  grow- 
ing stronger.  The  tired  troops  had  thrown  them- 
selves on  the  ground  at  the  edge  of  the  woods, 
and  lay  on  their  arms  in  line  of  battle,  listlessly 
and  sleepily.  Every  now  and  then  stragglers — 
sometimes  singly,  oftener  in  groups — came  up 
from  the  rear,  and  moving  along  back  of  the  line, 
dusty,  heavy-footed,  and  tired,  found  and  re- 
joined their  respective  companies  and  regiments, 
dropping  down  quietly  by  the  side  of  their  com- 
panions as  they  came  to  them,  with  a  gibe  or  a 
word  or  two  of  greeting  on  either  side,  and  then 
they,  too,  like  most  of  the  rest,  subsided  into  an 
appearance  of  apathetic  indifference.  Here  and 
there  men  loaded  with  canteens  were  sent  to  the 
rear  in  search  of  water ;  and  every  few  yards  sol- 
diers lay  munching  a  bit  of  hardtack,  the  first 
food  many  of  them  had  had  during  the  day,  for 
they  were  driven  from  their  camps  at  daylight. 
Little  was  said  by  officers  or  men,  for  the  truth 
155 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

was  that  nearly  all  were  tired,  troubled,  and  some- 
what disheartened  by  the  disaster  that  had  so 
unexpectedly  overtaken  them;  for  even  in  the 
light  of  existing  events  the  Confederates  had  tri- 
umphed. They  had  been  routed  from  their  posi- 
tion, their  left  overwhelmed,  crushed,  and  driven 
in  upon  the  centre,  and  the  whole  army  repeat- 
edly outflanked  and  forced  back  beyond  Middle- 
town,  a  distance  of  nearly  five  miles,  where  they 
now  were,  with  the  loss  of  many  cannon,  most 
of  their  wounded,  thousands  of  prisoners,  and 
quantities  of  transportation — this,  too,  by  a  foe 
whom  they  believed  practically  vanquished,  and 
whom  they  had  defeated  in  pitched  battle  twice 
within  the  last  thirty  days.  This  unpalatable 
fact  burned  itself  into  their  brain  as  they  lay 
prone  on  the  ground,  with  their  rifles  beside  them, 
trying  to  snatch  a  few  moments'  troubled  sleep 
for  their  heavy  eyes  and  weary  bodies.  It  must 
have  been  a  bitter  cud  to  chew. 

As  the  moments  continued  to  pass  with  no  or- 
ders from  headquarters  I  grew  impatient  again, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  delay  was  in- 
creasing our  strength  by  the  return  of  stragglers 
and  the  reorganization  of  scattered  regiments, 
as  well  as  giving  a  much-needed  rest  to  the  whole 
army.  For  the  foe  was  also  resting,  and  prob- 
ably gaining  strength  in  the  same  manner,  so  I 
mounted  and  passed  through  our  line,  and  rode 
156 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

out  towards  the  enemy  as  far  as  I  could  with  rea- 
sonable safety.  Owing  to  the  woods  and  the 
conformation  of  the  ground,  I  could  not  accurate- 
ly determine  anything,  so  I  came  back  and  went 
again  to  army  headquarters.  I  reported  my  ac- 
tions, and  told  the  general  how  I  had  not  been 
able  to  satisfy  myself  as  to  the  present  location 
of  the  enemy's  line,  but  I  thought  the  men  were 
sufficiently  rested  to  advance  in  good  heart.  He 
did  not  reply  immediately,  but  seemed  thoughtful 
and  perplexed. 

Finally  he  shook  his  head,  and  said,  "  Not  yet, 
not  yet;  go  back  and  wait  patiently." 

Riding  back  to  my  former  location,  I  dismount- 
ed and  sat  down  again,  much  puzzled  to  know 
the  reason  for  this  inaction,  as  it  was  so  unlike 
what  I  had  seen  of  my  chief,  who  was  always  so 
quick  to  see  and  prompt  to  act,  especially  on  the 
field  of  battle.  I  think  it  must  have  been  nearly 
an  hour  when  I  again  passed  to  the  front  of  our 
line,  gave  my  horse  to  one  of  the  skirmishers,  and 
cautiously  stole  through  the  woods,  till,  on  sur- 
mounting a  slight  rise,  I  distinctly  heard  sounds 
that  indicated  the  vicinity  of  the  enemy,  and  by 
crawling  forward  I  saw  his  line  in  the  distance, 
and  made  out  that  the  Confederates  were  piling 
up  stones  and  rails  on  the  prolongation  of  a  line 
of  stone  fences,  evidently  expecting  an  advance 
from  our  side  and  preparing  for  it. 
i57 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

I  returned  at  once,  and  for  the  third  time  re- 
ported at  army  headquarters.  As  I  came  up  I 
noticed  that  the  general  had  evidently  just  re- 
ceived a  report  of  some  kind  from  an  officer  who 
was  riding  off  as  I  made  my  appearance.  Re- 
porting what  I  had  heard  and  seen,  he  glanced 
up  brightly  and  said : 

"It's  all  right  now!  I  have  been  kept  back 
by  a  report  of  troops  coming  down  in  our  rear 
by  way  of  the  Front  Royal  pike.  It's  not  so,  how- 
ever." Then,  turning  to  one  of  his  staff  officers, 
he  asked  for  the  time  of  day. 

"  Twenty  minutes  to  four,"  was  the  reply. 

"So  late!"  said  the  general.  "Why,  that's 
later  than  I  thought !"  And  then,  turning  again 
to  me,  he  said:  "Tell  General  Wright  to  move 
forward  the  Sixth  Corps  and  attack  at  once,  keep- 
ing his  left  on  the  pike ;  then  tell  General  Emory 
to  advance  at  the  same  time,  keeping  the  left  of 
the  Nineteenth  Corps  well  closed  on  the  right  of 
the  Sixth  Corps ;  if  opportunity  offers,  swing  the 
right  division  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps  to  the  left, 
and  drive  the  enemy  towards  the  pike.  I  will  put 
what  is  available  of  General  Crook's  forces  on 
the  left  of  the  pike  and  General  Merritt's  cavalry 
also,  and  send  Custer  well  out  on  Emory's  right 
to  cover  that  flank.  Do  you  clearly  compre- 
hend ?" 

"Certainly!  The  Sixth  and  Nineteenth  Corps 
158 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

attack,  with  Merritt's  cavalry  on  the  left  and 
Custer's  on  the  right,  the  right  division  of  the 
Nineteenth  to  try  and  outflank  the  enemy  and 
swing  towards  the  pike." 

"Good!"  said  the  general,  with  a  quick  nod, 
and  I  saluted  and  sprang  to  my  saddle  with  a 
feeling  of  elation  difficult  for  one  not  a  soldier 
to  adequately  comprehend. 

I  found  General  Wright  just  in  rear  of  his  corps, 
lying  on  the  ground.  He  sat  up  as  I  reported, 
and  I  saw  that  his  beard  was  clotted  with  blood 
and  his  neck  and  chin  swollen,  and  he  spoke 
with  something  of  an  effort.  He  had  been  shot 
just  under  the  chin  early  in  the  day,  but  had  re- 
tained command  of  the  army  until  General  Sher- 
idan's arrival,  and  then  assumed  command  of 
his  own  corps.  On  receiving  General  Sheridan's 
order,  he  said : 

"  Do  I  understand  that  General  Emory's  troops 
connect  with  my  right  flank?" 

"Certainly!" 

"And  General  Crook's  forces  will  be  on  the 
left  of  the  pike?" 

"Yes,  and  General  Merritt's  cavalry  also." 

"Very  well." 

And  as  I  saluted  and  turned  away  he  was  al- 
ready giving  orders  to  his  aides.  I  rode  rapidly 
to  General  Emory  and  repeated  the  commanding 
general's  instructions,  and  then  returned  to  my 
i59 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

former  station  in  rear  of  the  right  centre  of  the 
Nineteenth  Corps. 

In  a  few  moments  the  news  ran  down  the  line 
that  we  were  to  advance.  Springing  to  their 
feet  at  the  word  of  command,  the  tired  troops 
stood  to  arms  and  seemed  to  resolutely  shake 
off  the  depression  that  had  sat  so  heavily  upon 
them,  and  began  to  pull  themselves  together  for 
the  coming  fray.  Everywhere  along  the  line 
of  battle  men  might  be  seen  to  stoop  and  retie 
their  shoes;  to  pull  their  trousers  at  the  ankle 
tightly  together  and  then  draw  up  their  heavy 
woollen  stockings  over  them;  to  rebuckle  and 
tighten  their  waist-belts;  to  unbutton  the  lids 
of  their  cartridge-boxes  and  pull  them  forward 
rather  more  to  the  front ;  to  rearrange  their  hav- 
ersacks and  canteens,  and  to  shift  their  rolls  of 
blankets  in  order  to  give  freer  scope  to  the  expan- 
sion of  their  shoulders  and  an  easier  play  to  their 
arms;  to  set  their  forage-caps  tighter  on  their 
heads,  pulling  the  vizor  well  down  over  their  eyes ; 
and  then,  almost  as  if  by  order,  there  rang  from 
one  end  of  the  line  to  the  other  the  rattle  of  ram- 
rods and  snapping  of  gunlocks  as  each  man 
tested  for  himself  the  condition  of  his  rifle,  and 
made  sure  that  his  weapon  was  in  good  order 
and  to  be  depended  upon  in  the  emergency  that 
was  so  soon  to  arise.  Then,  grounding  arms, 
they  stood  at  ease,  half  leaning  on  their  rifles, 
160 


SHERIDAN'S  RIDE 

saying  little,  but  quietly  awaiting  orders  and 
grimly  gazing  straight  towards  the  front.  In  front 
of  the  battalions,  with  drawn  swords  and  set  lips, 
stood  their  line  -  officers,  slightly  craning  their 
heads  forward  and  looking  into  the  woods,  as  if 
trying  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  enemy  they  knew 
to  be  somewhere  there,  but  whom  as  yet  they 
could  not  see. 

I  push  through  the  line  slightly  forward  of 
the  nearest  brigade,  and  in  a  moment  the  sharp 
command,  "Attention!"  rings  down  the  line. 
" Shoulder  arms !  Forward!  March  !"  And  with 
martial  tread  and  floating  flags  the  line  of  bat- 
tle is  away.  "Guide  left!"  shout  the  line-offi- 
cers. "Guide  left — left!"  and  that  is  the  only 
order  I  hear  as  we  press  forward  through  the  thick 
trees  and  underbrush.  I  lean  well  forward  on 
my  horse's  neck,  striving  to  catch  if  possible 
a  glimpse  of  the  Confederate  line;  but  hark! 
Here  comes  the  first  shot.  "Steady!  Steady, 
men!"  Another,  and  now  a  few  scattering  bul- 
lets come  singing  through  the  woods.  The  line 
does  not  halt  or  return  the  fire,  but  presses  stead- 
ily on  to  the  oft-repeated  command  of  "  Forward! 
forward!"  that  never  ceases  to  ring  from  one 
end  to  the  other  of  the  advancing  line.  Soon 
the  woods  become  less  dense,  and  through  the 
trees  I  see  just  beyond  us  an  open  field  partly 
covered  with  small  bushes,  and  several  hundred 
k  i6j 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

yards  away,  crowning  a  slight  crest  on  its  further 
side,  a  low  line  of  fence-rails  and  loose  stones, 
which,  as  we  leave  the  edge  of  the  woods,  and  come 
into  the  open,  suddenly  vomits  name  and  smoke 
along  its  entire  length,  and  a  crashing  volley 
tells  us  that  we  have  found  the  enemy.  For 
an  instant  our  line  staggers,  but  the  volley  has 
been  aimed  too  high  and  few  men  fall.  "  Steady 
— steady,  men!"  shout  the  officers.  "Aim!" 
and  almost  instinctively  the  whole  line  throw 
forward  their  pieces.  *  Fire  I"  and  the  next 
instant  a  savage  volley  answers  that  of  the  Con- 
federates. I  can  see  that  it  has  told,  too,  for  in 
several  places  along  the  opposite  crest  men  spring 
to  their  feet  as  if  to  fall  back,  but  their  officers 
promptly  rally  them.  " Pour  it  into  them,  men!" 
shout  our  officers.  "  Let  them  have  it.  It's 
our  turn  now!"  for  brute  instinct  has  triumphed 
and  the  savage  is  uppermost  with  all  of  us.  For 
a  moment  or  two  the  men  stand  and  fire  at  will, 
as  rapidly  as  it  is  possible  to  reload,  and  then 
the  Confederate  fire  seems  to  slowly  slacken; 
so,  with  a  universal  shout  of  *  Forward!  for- 
ward !"  we  press  towards  the  enemy's  line.  Be- 
fore we  are  much  more  than  half  way  across  the 
field,  however,  they  seem  to  have  abandoned 
our  front,  for  I  cannot  see  anything  ahead  of  us, 
though  I  stand  up  in  my  stirrups  and  look  eagerly 
forward.  But  what — what  is  that?  Crash  I 
162 


HOLDING   ON   TO    MY    SADDLE,  THE  COLOR-BEARER   ACCOMPANIES    ME 


SHERIDAN'S    RIDE 

crash  !  and  from  a  little  bush-covered  plateau 
on  our  right  the  enemy  vSends  a  couple  of  rattling 
volleys  on  our  exposed  flank  that  do  us  great 
harm,  and  I  realize  that  we  are  the  outflanked  I 

For  an  instant  the  line  gives  way,  but  every 
mounted  officer  in  the  vicinity,  among  whom  I 
recognize  General  Fessenden,  seems  to  be  in- 
stantly on  the  spot  trying  to  rally  the  troops  and 
hold  the  line.  "  Steady !  steady  !  Right  wheel!" 
is  the  shout,  and  the  men,  after  the  first  flush 
of  surprise,  behave  splendidly,  one  young  color- 
bearer  rushing  to  the  right  and  waving  his  flag 
defiantly  in  the  new  direction  from  which  the 
enemy's  fire  is  now  coming.  I  ask  him  to  let 
me  take  it,  as  I  am  mounted  and  it  can  be  seen 
better,  as  there  is  some  undergrowth  at  this  par- 
ticular spot  in  the  field.  At  first  he  demurs,  but 
seeing  the  point,  yields.  Holding  on  to  my 
saddle,  the  color-bearer  accompanies  me  towards 
a  slight  hillock.  The  line  catches  sight  of  it, 
and  the  left  begins  to  swing  slowly  round,  the 
men  in  our  immediate  vicinity  loading  and  fir- 
ing as  rapidly  as  they  can  in  the  direction  from 
which  the  enemy  is  now  advancing.  The  Con- 
federates are  giving  it  to  us  hot,  and  we  realize 
that  we  have  lost  the  continuity  of  our  line  on 
both  flanks. 

Suddenly  peal  on  peal  of  musketry  broke  out 
on  our  right,  and  the  copse  in  front  of  us  was 
163 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

fairly  bullet-swept  by  repeated  volleys.  The 
next  moment  a  portion  of  one  of  McMillan's 
brigades,  which  he  had  promptly  swung  round 
and  faced  to  the  right,  dashed  forward,  and  to- 
gether we  moved  up  to  the  position  just  held  by 
the  enemy,  to  find  that  he  was  in  headlong  re- 
treat. One  hasty  look  and  I  saw  that  we  had 
pierced  the  enemy's  line,  and  that  his  extreme 
left  was  cut  off  and  scattered.  But  I  could  not 
see  any  troops  nor  anything  of  his  line  over  in 
the  direction  of  the  pike,  as  there  was  a  dense 
belt  of  woods  that  shut  out  the  view.  Neverthe- 
less, the  steady  roar  of  artillery  and  peals  of  mus- 
ketry told  us  that  heavy  fighting  was  going  on 
in  that  part  of  the  field.  General  McMillan  was 
already  re-forming  his  men  to  move  over  and 
take  up  the  line  and  our  former  direction  to  the 
left,  when  General  Sheridan,  riding  his  gray 
charger  Breckenridge,  and  surrounded  by  his 
staff,  came  out  of  the  woods  and  dashed  up. 
One  glance  and  he  had  the  situation.  "  This  is 
all  right!  this  is  all  right!"  was  his  sole  com- 
ment. Then  turning  to  General  McMillan,  he 
directed  him  to  continue  the  movement  and  close 
up  to  the  left  and  complete  our  line  of  battle  as  it 
originally  was. 

He  told  me,  however,  to  hold  the  troops  until  I 
saw  that  Custer  had  driven  the  enemy's  cavalry 
from  our  flank.     This  we  could  easily  see,  as  the 
164 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

country  was  open  and  the  ground  lower  than 
where  we  were.  Having  given  these  instruc- 
tions, the  general,  followed  by  his  staff,  gal- 
loped rapidly  to  the  left  and  rear  through  the 
woods,  evidently  making  for  the  pike,  where, 
judging  from  the  continued  roar  of  field-guns 
and  musketry,  the  Sixth  Corps  was  having  sav- 
age work. 

As  soon  as  we  saw  General  Custer's  squadrons 
charge  across  the  field  and  engage  the  enemy's 
cavalry,  General  McMillan  ordered  the  advance, 
and  we  pushed  forward,  driving  the  enemy  ahead 
of  us  through  the  wood,  and  came  out  to  the  left 
and  rear  of  the  Confederate  line,  enabling  our 
left  to  pour  in  a  fearful  fire  on  their  exposed  flank. 
The  enemy  was  gallantly  holding  his  line  behind 
some  stone  fences,  but  "  flesh  that  is  born  of 
woman  "  could  not  stand  such  work  as  this,  and 
the  cavalry,  having  got  well  in  on  their  right 
flank  about  this  time,  their  entire  line  gave  way 
in  retreat. 

Our  whole  army  now  pressed  rapidly  forward, 
not  stopping  to  re-form,  but  driving  them  from 
each  new  line  of  defence;  but  it  was  no  walk- 
over even  then,  for  the  Confederates  fought 
splendidly — desperately  even.  They  tried  to 
take  advantage  of  every  stone  fence,  house,  or 
piece  of  woods  on  which  to  rally  their  men  and 
retard  our  advance.  Their  batteries  were  served 
165 


SHERIDAN'S   RIDE 

gallantly  and  handled  brilliantly,  and  took  up 
position  after  position ;  but  it  was  all  in  vain,  for 
we  outnumbered  them,  both  cavalry  and  infant- 
ry, and  their  men  must  have  comprehended  the 
fact  that  our  cavalry  was  turning  both  their 
flanks.  They  made  their  last  stand  on  the  hills 
just  this  side  of  Cedar  Creek,  occupying  the  re- 
verse side  of  some  of  our  own  earthworks;  and 
when  the  infantry  I  was  with  came  up  to  Belle 
Plain,  which  was  the  house  General  Sheridan 
had  occupied  as  headquarters  prior  to  his  depart- 
ure for  Washington,  it  was  already  getting  quite 
dark.  I  dismounted  here  and  ran  in  a  moment 
to  see  whether  Colonel  Tolles  and  Dr.  Ohlen- 
schlaeger,  two  of  General  Sheridan's  staff  who 
had  been  wounded  by  guerillas,  were  still  liv- 
ing. They  were  still  alive,  but  unconscious,  and 
some  one  (a  Confederate,  I  think),  fearing  that 
the  house  might  be  shelled  during  the  action, 
had  placed  their  mattresses  on  the  floor  to  keep 
them  as  far  out  of  harm's  way  as  possible.  Hur- 
rying out,  I  pushed  on  with  the  infantry. 

For  a  few  moments  the  Confederates  held  their 
position  on  the  hills,  but  suddenly  abandoned  it 
in  haste  and  sought  safety  in  flight,  for  some  of 
General  Custer's  cavalry  had  crossed  the  creek 
at  the  ford  below  and  were  getting  in  their  rear, 
and  to  remain  was  to  be  captured.  I  soon  caught 
up  with  some  of  our  cavalry  regiments,  and  we 
166 


SHERIDAN'S    RIDE 

started  in  full  cry  after  the  enemy.  It  was  no 
use  for  them  to  attempt  anything  but  flight  from 
this  on,  and  they  abandoned  everything  and  got 
away  from  our  pursuing  squadrons  as  best  they 
might,  hundreds  of  them  leaving  the  pike  and 
scattering  through  the  hills.  On  we  went,  pell- 
mell,  in  the  dark.  Two  regiments,  the  Fifth 
New  York  Cavalry  and  the  First  Vermont  Cav- 
alry, to  the  best  of  my  recollection,  were  the  only 
regimental  organizations  that  went  beyond  Stras- 
burg.  The  road  was  literally  crammed  with 
abandoned  wagons,  ambulances,  caissons,  and 
artillery. 

At  a  small  bridge,  where  a  creek  crosses  the 
road  some  distance  south  of  the  town,  we  were 
fired  upon  from  the  opposite  side  by  what  I 
thought  was  the  last  organized  force  of  General 
Early's  army.  I  now  believe  it  to  have  been 
his  provost  guard  with  a  large  body  of  our  pris- 
oners captured  by  the  enemy  early  in  the  day. 
The  planks  of  this  bridge  were  torn  up  to  prevent 
the  enemy  from  coming  back  during  the  night 
and  carrying  off  any  of  the  captured  property. 
I  then  started  to  return  to  headquarters,  count- 
ing the  captured  cannon  as  I  went.  It  soon  oc- 
curred to  me  that  as  it  was  so  dark  I  might  mis- 
take a  caisson  for  a  gun,  so  I  dismounted  and 
placed  my  hand  on  each  piece.  I  reached  head- 
quarters about  half-past  eight  or  possibly  nine 
167 


SHERIDAN'S  RIDE 

o'clock.     Camp-fires   were   blazing   everywhere. 
I  went  up  to  the  chief,  who  was  standing  near  a 
bright  fire  surrounded  by  a  group  of  officers,  and 
saluted,  reporting  my  return. 
"  Where  do  you  come  from?" 

*  Beyond  Strasburg." 

"  What  news  have  you?" 

*  The  road  is  lined  with  transportation  of  al- 
most every  kind,  and  we  have  captured  forty- 
four  pieces  of  artillery." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  we  have  forty-four 
pieces?" 

"  I  have  placed  my  hand  on  each  and  every 
gun." 

Standing  there  in  the  firelight  I  saw  my  chief's 
face  light  up  with  a  great  wave  of  satisfaction. 


THE    CLOSING    SCENE    AT    APPO- 
MATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 


THE    CLOSING    SCENE    AT    APPO- 
MATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

\17HEN,  on  the  night  of  the  8th  of  April  1865, 
* "  the  cavalry  corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac reached  the  two  or  three  little  houses  that 
made  up  the  settlement  at  Appomattox  Depot— 
the  station  on  the  South-side  Railroad  that  con- 
nects Appomattox  Court-house  with  the  travel- 
ling world — it  must  have  been  nearly  or  quite 
dark.  At  about  nine  o'clock  or  half-past,  while 
standing  near  the  door  of  one  of  the  houses,  it 
occurred  to  me  that  it  might  be  well  to  try  and  get 
a  clearer  idea  of  our  immediate  surroundings, 
as  it  was  not  impossible  that  we  might  have  hot 
work  here  or  near  here  before  the  next  day  fairly 
dawned  upon  us. 

My  *  striker  "  had  just  left  me  with  instruc- 
tions to  have  my  horse  fed,  groomed,  and  saddled 
before  daylight.  As  he  turned  to  go  he  paused 
and  put  this  question :  "  Do  you  think,  Colonel, 
that  we'll  get  General  Lee's  army  to-morrow?" 
171 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

"  I  don't  know/'  was  my  reply ;  "  but  we  will 
have  some  savage  fighting  if  we  don't." 

As  the  sturdy  young  soldier  said  "  Good-night, 
sir,"  and  walked  away,  I  knew  that  if  the  en- 
listed men  of  our  army  could  forecast  the  coming 
of  the  end  so  plainly,  there  was  little  hope  of  the 
escape  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia. 

I  walked  up  the  road  a  short  distance,  and 
looked  carefully  about  me  to  take  my  bearings. 
It  was  a  mild  spring  night,  with  a  cloudy  sky, 
and  the  soft  mellow  smell  of  earthiness  in  the 
atmosphere  that  not  infrequently  portends  rain. 
If  rain  came  then  it  might  retard  the  arrival  of 
our  infantry,  which  I  knew  General  Sheridan 
was  most  anxious  should  reach  us  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment.  A  short  distance  from  where 
I  stood  was  the  encampment  of  our  headquarters 
escort,  with  its  orderlies,  grooms,  officers'  ser- 
vants, and  horses.  Just  beyond  it  could  be  seen 
the  dying  camp-fires  of  a  cavalry  regiment,  lying 
close  in  to  cavalry  corps  headquarters.  This 
regiment  was  in  charge  of  between  six  and  eight 
hundred  prisoners,  who  had  fallen  into  our  hands 
just  at  dark,  as  Generals  Custer  and  Devin, 
at  the  head  of  their  respective  cavalry  com- 
mands, had  charged  into  the  station  and  cap- 
tured four  railway  trains  of  commissariat  sup- 
plies, which  had  been  sent  here  to  await  the  ar- 
rival of  the  Confederate  army,  together  with 
172 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

twenty-six  pieces  of  artillery.  For  a  few  mo- 
ments the  artillery  had  greatly  surprised  and 
astonished  us,  for  its  presence  was  entirely  un- 
expected, and  as  it  suddenly  opened  on  the  charg- 
ing columns  of  cavalry  it  looked  for  a  short  time 
as  though  we  might  have  all  unwittingly  fallen 
upon  a  division  of  infantry.  However,  it  turned 
out  otherwise.  Our  cavalry,  after  the  first  re- 
coil, boldly  charged  in  among  the  batteries,  and 
the  gunners,  being  without  adequate  support, 
sensibly  surrendered.  The  whole  affair  was 
for  us  a  most  gratifying  termination  of  a  long 
day's  ride,  as  it  must  have  proved  later  on  a  bit- 
ter disappointment  to  the  weary  and  hungry 
Confederates  pressing  forward  from  Petersburg 
and  Richmond  in  the  vain  hope  of  escape  from 
the  Federal  troops,  who  were  straining  every 
nerve  to  overtake  them  and  compel  a  surrender. 
To-night  the  cavalry  corps  was  in  their  front 
and  squarely  across  the  road  to  Lynchburg,  and 
it  was  reasonably  certain,  should  our  infantry 
get  up  in  time  on  the  morrow,  that  the  almost 
ceaseless  marching  and  fighting  of  the  last  ten 
days  were  to  attain  their  legitimate  result  in 
the  capitulation  of  General  Lee's  army. 

As  I  stood  there  in  the  dark  thinking  over  the 
work  of  the  twelve  preceding  days,  it  was  borne 
in  upon  me  with  startling  emphasis  that  to-mor- 
row's sun  would  rise  big  with  the  fate  of  the 
173 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

Southern  Confederacy ;  and  as  I  began  to  recall 
the  occurrences  that  had  taken  place  since  the 
30th  of  March,  I  realized  for  the  first  time  what 
a  splendid  burst  it  had  been  for  the  cavalry  corps. 
Its  superb  fighting  on  the  30th  and  31st  of  March, 
at  the  battle  of  Dinwiddie  Court-house,  which 
had  been  the  immediate  precursor  of  the  great 
victory  of  the  battle  of  Five  Forks,  won  by  it 
and  the  Fifth  Army  Corps  on  the  next  day,  had 
not  only  crushed  the  right  of  the  Confederate 
line  and  given  us  thousands  of  prisoners,  but 
had  also  turned  the  flank  of  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia.  This  had  rendered  its  vast  line  of 
intrenchments  utterly  untenable,  and,  by  com- 
pelling the  retreat  of  the  Confederate  army  from 
before  its  capital,  which  it  had  defended  so  long 
and  so  successfully,  had  forced  the  evacuation 
of  Petersburg  and  Richmond.  The  cavalry 
corps  had  then  immediately  taken  up  the  pur- 
suit. The  Confederate  army,  once  out  of  its 
intrenchments  and  away  from  its  hoped-for 
junction  with  General  Joe  Johnston's  forces, 
and  knowing  that  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and 
the  Army  of  the  James  were  in  full  cry  in  pur- 
suit of  it,  had  time  and  again  turned  and  fought 
gallantly,  desperately  even,  against  odds  too 
great  for  successful  defence,  and  against  troops 
better  equipped,  better  fed,  and  of  equal  gallantry 
in  every  respect,  and,  what  is  more,  against  men 
174 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

who  knew  that  the  capture  of  the  Army  of  North- 
ern Virginia  meant  the  close  of  the  war,  the  end 
of  the  great  rebellion,  the  dawn  of  peace,  and 
their  return  to  their  homes,  their  families,  and 
their  firesides. 

Scarcely  had  word  reached  us  of  the  evacua- 
tion of  Petersburg  and  Richmond  when,  without 
a  second  glance  at  the  map,  General  Sheridan 
concluded  that  Danville,  on  the  southern  border 
of  the  State,  was  General  Lee's  objective  point, 
and  determined  at  whatever  cost,  if  within  his 
power,  that  neither  he  nor  his  army  should  reach 
it.  Probably  no  man  in  either  army  was  so  well 
fitted  by  nature  and  training  to  prevent  this, 
if  surpassing  ability  to  handle  cavalry,  an  al- 
most intuitive  knowledge  of  topography,  a  phy- 
sique that  was  tireless,  dogged  tenacity,  tre- 
mendous energy,  and  a  courage  that  nothing 
could  daunt,  could  bring  about  the  desired  re- 
sult. Quick  to  see  and  prompt  to  act,  his  de- 
cision as  to  the  method  to  be  pursued  by  the  cav- 
alry corps  was  immediate  and  simple.  It  was 
to  pursue  and  attack  the  left  flank  of  the  retreat- 
ing army  at  any  possible  point  with  the  cavalry 
division  that  first  reached  it,  and,  if  possible, 
compel  it  to  turn  and  defend  its  wagon  trains 
and  its  artillery,  then  to  send  another  division 
beyond,  and  attack  the  Confederate  army  again 
at  any  other  assailable  point,  and  to  follow  up 
i75 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

this  method  of  attack  until  at  some  point  the 
whole  army  would  be  obliged  to  turn  and  de- 
liver battle  in  the  open  field  to  its  old  opponent, 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  In  vain  had  General 
Lee's  worn  and  tired-out  cavalry  tried  to  cover 
his  line  of  retreat  and  protect  his  trains,  for  we 
were  stronger  in  numbers,  far  better  mounted, 
and,  with  no  reflection  upon  our  opponents,  in 
a  much  better  state  of  drill  and  discipline.  More- 
over, we  had  the  elan  of  victory  and  the  hope  of 
success,  while  each  succeeding  hour  they  saw 
their  numbers  lessening  and  their  hopes  fading. 
Gallant  men  they  were,  and,  considering  the 
circumstances,  bravely  and  well  they  fought; 
but  victory  for  them,  with  their  half-starved  men 
and  worn-out  horses,  was  no  longer  possible. 

From  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  April,  when 
General  Merritt,  with  the  first  cavalry  division, 
caught  up  with  the  retreating  enemy  on  the  Nam- 
ozine  road,  near  Scotts  Corners,  we  had  given 
them  little  or  no  rest.  At  Greathouse  Creek  on 
the  3d,  at  Tabernacle  Church  and  Amelia  Court- 
house on  the  4th,  at  Fames  Cross  Roads  on 
the  5th,  and  when  brought  to  bay  at  Sailor's 
Creek  on  the  6th  of  April,  a  portion  of  their 
army,  under  General  Ewell,  halted  and  gave 
battle  to  the  cavalry  corps  and  two  divisions 
of  the  Sixth  Army  Corps,  despite  their  splen- 
did and  desperate  fighting,  nearly  eight  thou- 
176 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

sand  of  their  men,  with  much  of  their  artillery, 
were  compelled  to  surrender.  The  cavalry  had 
given  them  no  rest  whatever,  and  right  on  their 
heels  came  our  infantry,  constantly  attacking 
and  assailing  them  whenever  and  wherever  they 
could  overtake  them.  Still  they  kept  plodding 
wearily  on,  weak  and  hungry  as  they  were, 
holding  themselves  well  together,  and  turning 
and  fighting  bravely  where  and  how  they  could, 
but  with  ever-failing  fortune  and  steadily  dimin- 
ishing numbers,  and  already  many  of  us,  besides 
General  Grant,  thought  that  it  was  asking  too 
much  of  these  gallant  lads  in  gray  to  risk  their 
lives  longer  in  support  of  a  confederacy  that  was 
tottering  to  its  fall. 

General  Lee  evidently  thought  otherwise. 
The  next  day,  the  7th  of  April,  after  another 
fight  with  the  cavalry,  at  Farmville,  he  aban- 
doned the  idea  of  reaching  Danville,  and  swing- 
ing his  retreating  army  north,  from  towards  the 
Richmond,  Prince  Edward,  and  Danville  pike, 
which  had  evidently  been  his  objective  point, 
he  shaped  his  course  for  Lynchburg,  Va., 
over  the  old  Lynchburg  and  Richmond  road. 
The  keen  perception  of  General  Sheridan  had 
been  but  a  few  hours  at  fault.  Realizing  that 
the  Confederate  general  would  probably  send 
for  supplies  to  meet  his  hungry  army  at  some 
railway  station  on  the  road  to  Lynchburg,  near 
m  177  . 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

his  line  of  retreat,  he  at  once  decided  that  Ap- 
pomattox Depot  would  be  the  place,  and  hurried 
off  his  scouts  in  that  direction.  The  cavalry 
corps  at  once  abandoned  its  series  of  flank  at- 
tacks on  General  Lee's  retreating  army,  and 
pushed  out  rapidly  for  that  station  on  the  South- 
side  Railroad.  Its  march  led  over  an  old  grass- 
grown  dirt  road  by  way  of  Buffalo  River,  which 
ran  at  times  almost  parallel  with  General  Lee's 
retreating  army,  that  was  marching  south,  and 
for  the  same  objective  point,  only  about  twelve 
or  fifteen  miles  away.  General  Sheridan's  opin- 
ion had  proved  correct,  and  there  we  were,  the 
enemy's  supplies  in  our  hands,  and  the  cavalry 
corps  squarely  across  the  path  of  the  Confed- 
erate army  on  its  way  to  Lynchburg. 

Rapidly  as  I  had  thought  over  the  campaign, 
it  was  later  than  I  realized  as  I  stepped  into  the 
little  house  near  the  depot  at  which  General 
Sheridan  had  made  his  headquarters  for  the 
night.  I  found  my  chief  stretched  at  full  length 
on  a  bench  before  a  bright  open  fire,  wide-awake, 
and  evidently  in  deep  thought.  At  that  time 
he  was  thirty-three  years  of  age,  with  a  clean- 
cut  face,  high  cheek-bones,  fine  black  eyes,  an 
aggressive  chin,  slightly  aquiline  nose,  firmly  set 
mouth,  dark  brown  mustache,  and  close-cut  black 
hair,  short  in  stature — being  about  five  feet  four 
in  height,  very  slight,  but  wiry  and  muscular, 
178 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

with  a  tremendous  breadth  of  shoulder,  and  long, 
powerful  arms,  long- bodied,  too,  but  with  very 
short  legs.  He  sat  tall,  though,  so  that  when 
he  was  mounted  he  gave  one  the  impression 
of  being  quite  the  average  height. 

Turning  to  the  chief  of  staff,  Colonel  J.  W. 
Forsyth,  I  said  that  if  there  was  nothing  for  me 
to  do  I  would  turn  in.  He  advised  me  to  do  so  at 
once,  and  I  accordingly  sought  my  blankets,  in 
the  belief  that  the  next  day  would  be  a  memor- 
able one,  either  in  the  way  of  a  desperate  engage- 
ment between  the  Confederate  army  and  our  cav- 
alry corps  (which  was  at  this  time,  including  the 
horse-artillery  and  General  Mackenzie's  cavalry 
of  the  Army  of  the  James,  about  nine  thousand 
strong),  or  possibly  a  general  engagement  be- 
tween the  two  armies,  in  which  case  I  thought 
there  was  no  hope  for  the  Confederates. 

Just  before  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  9th 
of  April  I  sat  down  to  a  cup  of  coffee,  but  had 
hardly  begun  to  drink  it  when  I  heard  the  omi- 
nous sound  of  a  scattering  skirmish  fire,  appar- 
ently in  the  direction  of  Appomattox  Court-house. 
Hastily  swallowing  what  remained  of  it,  I  re- 
ported to  General  Sheridan,  who  directed  me  to 
go  to  the  front  at  once.  Springing  into  the  sad- 
dle, I  galloped  up  the  road,  my  heart  being  great- 
ly lightened  by  a  glimpse  of  two  or  three  infant- 
rymen standing  near  a  camp-fire  close  by  the 
179 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

depot — convincing  proof  that  our  hoped-for  re- 
inforcements were  within  supporting  distance. 

It  was  barely  daylight  as  I  sped  along,  but  be- 
fore I  reached  the  cavalry  brigade  of  Colonel  C. 
H.  Smith  that  held  the  main  road  between  Ap- 
pomattox Court-house  and  Lynchburg,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  two  miles  northeast  from  Appo- 
mattox Depot,  the  enemy  had  advanced  to  the  at- 
tack, and  the  battle  had  opened.  When  ordered 
into  position  late  the  preceding  night,  Colonel 
Smith  had  felt  his  way  in  the  dark  as  close- 
ly as  possible  to  Appomattox  Court-house,  and 
at  or  near  midnight  had  halted  on  a  ridge,  on 
which  he  had  thrown  up  a  breastwork  of  rails. 
This  he  occupied  by  dismounting  his  brigade, 
and  also  with  a  section  of  horse-artillery,  at  the 
same  time  protecting  both  his  flanks  by  a  small 
mounted  force.  As  the  enemy  advanced  to  the 
attack  in  the  dim  light  of  early  dawn  he  could 
not  see  the  led  horses  of  our  cavalry,  which  had 
been  sent  well  to  the  rear,  and  was  evidently  at  a 
loss  to  determine  what  was  in  his  front.  The 
result  was  that  after  the  first  attack  he  fell  back 
to  get  his  artillery  in  position,  and  to  form  a 
strong  assaulting  column  against  what  must 
have  seemed  to  him  a  line  of  infantry.  This 
was  most  fortunate  for  us,  for  by  the  time  he 
again  advanced  in  full  force,  and  compelled  the 
dismounted  cavalry  to  slowly  fall  back  by  weight 
180 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

of  numbers,  our  infantry  was  hurrying  forward 
from  Appomattox  Depot  (which  place  it  had 
reached  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning),  and  we 
had  gained  many  precious  minutes.  At  this 
time  most  of  our  cavalry  was  fighting  dismount- 
ed, stubbornly  retiring.  But  the  Confederates 
at  last  realized  that  there  was  nothing  but  a  bri- 
gade of  dismounted  cavalry  and  a  few  batteries 
of  horse-artillery  in  their  immediate  front,  and 
pushed  forward  grimly  and  determinedly,  driv- 
ing the  dismounted  troopers  slowly  ahead  of 
them. 

I  had  gone  to  the  left  of  the  road,  and  was  in 
a  piece  of  woods  with  some  of  our  cavalrymen 
(who  by  this  time  had  been  ordered  to  fall  back 
to  their  horses  and  give  place  to  our  infantry, 
which  was  then  coming  up),  when  a  couple  of 
rounds  of  canister  tore  through  the  branches  just 
over  my  head.  Riding  back  to  the  edge  of  the 
woods  in  the  direction  from  which  the  shots  came, 
I  found  myself  within  long  pistol  range  of  a  sec- 
tion of  a  battery  of  light  artillery.  It  was  in 
position  near  a  country  road  that  came  out  of 
another  piece  of  woods  about  two  hundred  yards 
in  its  rear,  and  was  pouring  a  rapid  fire  into  the 
woods  from  which  I  had  just  emerged.  As  I  sat 
on  my  horse  quietly  watching  it  from  behind  a 
rail  fence,  the  lieutenant  commanding  the  pieces 
saw  me,  and  riding  out  for  a  hundred  yards  or 
181 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

more  towards  where  I  was,  proceeded  to  cover  me 
with  his  revolver.  We  fired  together — a  miss  on 
both  sides.  The  second  shot  was  uncomfortably 
close,  so  far  as  I  was  concerned,  but  as  I  took 
deliberate  aim  for  the  third  shot  I  became  aware 
that  in  some  way  his  pistol  was  disabled;  for 
using  both  hands  and  all  his  strength  I  saw  that 
he  could  not  cock  it.  I  had  him  covered,  and  had 
he  turned  I  think  I  should  have  fired.  He  did 
nothing  of  the  sort.  Apparently  accepting  his 
fate,  he  laid  his  revolver  across  the  pommel  of  his 
saddle,  fronted  me  quietly  and  coolly,  and  looked 
me  steadily  in  the  face.  The  whole  thing  had 
been  something  in  the  nature  of  a  duel,  and  I 
felt  that  to  fire  under  the  circumstances  savored 
too  much  of  murder.  Besides,  I  knew  that  at  a 
word  from  him  the  guns  would  have  been  trained 
on  me  where  I  sat.  He,  too,  seemed  to  appreci- 
ate the  fact  that  it  was  an  individual  fight,  and 
manfully  and  gallantly  forbore  to  call  for  aid; 
so  lowering  and  uncocking  my  pistol,  I  replaced 
it  in  my  holster,  and  shook  my  fist  at  him,  which 
action  he  cordially  reciprocated,  and  then  turn- 
ing away,  I  rode  back  into  the  woods. 

Within  two  hundred  yards  I  met  one  of  our 
infantry  brigades  slowly  advancing  through  the 
trees  in  line  of  battle.  It  was  part  of  the  Twenty- 
fourth  Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  James,  which 
had  marched  nearly  all  the  previous  night  to 
182 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

come  to  our  assistance,  and  these  troops  were,  I 
think,  the  advance  of  the  first  division  of  that 
corps.  I  rode  up  to  the  commanding  officer  of 
these  troops  and  told  him  where  the  battery, 
which  was  now  doing  considerable  damage 
among  his  men,  was  located,  and  urged  him  to 
dash  forward,  have  the  fence  thrown  down,  and 
charge  the  guns,  which  I  was  sure  he  could  capt- 
ure. This  he  refused  to  do  without  authority 
from  division  or  corps  headquarters,  and  while  I 
was  eagerly  arguing  the  case,  orders  came  for 
the  line  to  halt,  fall  back  a  short  distance,  and 
Jie  down.  I  thought  then,  and  do  now,  that  the 
guns  could  have  been  captured  with  less  loss 
than  they  finally  inflicted  on  this  brigade. 

About  this  time  the  enemy's  artillery  ceased 
firing,  and  I  again  rode  rapidly  to  the  edge  of 
the  woods,  just  in  time  to  see  the  guns  limber 
up  and  retire  down  the  wood  road  from  which 
they  had  come.  The  lieutenant  in  command 
saw  me  and  stopped.  We  simultaneously  un- 
covered, waved  our  hats  to  each  other,  and  bowed. 
I  have  always  thought  he  was  one  of  the  bravest 
men  I  ever  faced. 

I  rode  back  again,  passing  through  our  in- 
fantry line,  intending  to  go  to  the  left  and  find 
the  cavalry,  which  I  knew  would  be  on  the  flank 
somewhere.  Suddenly  I  became  conscious  that 
firing  had  ceased  along  the  whole  line. 
183 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

I  had  not  ridden  more  than  a  hundred  yards 
when  I  heard  some  one  calling  my  name.  Turn- 
ing, I  saw  one  of  the  headquarters  aides,  who 
came  galloping  up,  stating  that  he  had  been 
hunting  for  me  for  the  last  fifteen  minutes,  and 
that  General  Sheridan  wished  me  to  report  to 
him  at  once.  I  followed  him  rapidly  to  the  right 
on  the  wood  path  in  the  direction  from  which  he 
had  come. 

As  soon  as  I  could  get  abreast  of  him  I  asked 
if  he  knew  what  the  General  wanted  me  for. 

Turning  in  his  saddle,  with  his  eyes  fairly 
ablaze,  he  said,  "  Why,  don't  you  know?  A 
white  flag." 

All  I  could  say  was  "  Really?" 

He  answered  by  a  nod;  and  then  we  leaned 
towards  each  other  and  shook  hands ;  but  noth- 
ing else  was  said. 

A  few  moments  more  and  we  were  out  of  the 
woods  in  the  open  fields.  I  saw  the  long  line  of 
battle  of  the  Fifth  Army  Corps  halted,  the  men 
standing  at  rest,  the  standards  being  held  butt 
on  earth,  and  the  flags  floating  out  languidly 
on  the  spring  breeze.  As  we  passed  them  I  no- 
ticed that  the  officers  had  generally  grouped 
themselves  in  front  of  the  centre  of  their  regi- 
ments, sword  in  hand,  and  were  conversing  in 
low  tones.  The  men  were  leaning  wearily  on 
their  rifles,  in  the  position  of  parade  rest.  All 
184 


AT  APPOMATTOX  COURT-HOUSE 

were  anxiously  looking  to  the  front,  in  the  di- 
rection towards  which  the  enemy's  line  had  with- 
drawn, for  the  Confederates  had  fallen  back 
into  a  little  swale  or  valley  beyond  Appomattox 
Court  -  house,  and  were  not  then  visible  from 
this  part  of  our  line. 

Here  and  there  over  the  field  were  small  groups 
of  medical  officers  and  stretcher-bearers  around 
a  dead  or  wounded  man,  showing  where  the 
last  fire  of  the  skirmishers  had  taken  effect; 
and  as  we  passed  along  a  portion  of  the  front  of 
the  Fifth  Corps,  I  think  it  was  Chamberlinrs 
brigade,  we  saw  just  in  front  of  one  of  the  New 
York  regiments  a  group  of  sad-eyed  officers  gath- 
ered around  the  body  of  one  of  their  number, 
a  fine,  stalwart-looking  lieutenant,  who  they 
told  us  had  been  killed  by  the  last  shot  from  the 
Confederate  artillery,  just  before  the  order  was 
given  to  cease  firing.  He  was  said  to  have  been 
a  fine  officer  and  a  good  man,  promoted  from  the 
ranks  for  bravery,  and  it  seemed,  under  the 
circumstances,  a  particularly  hard  fate. 

We  soon  came  up  to  General  Sheridan  and  his 
staff.  They  were  dismounted,  sitting  on  the 
grass  by  the  side  of  a  broad  country  road  that 
led  to  the  Court-house.  This  was  about  one 
or  two  hundred  yards  distant,  and,  as  we  after- 
wards found,  consisted  of  the  court-house,  a 
small  tavern,  and  eight  or  ten  houses,  all  situ- 
185 


AT  APPOMATTOX  COURT-HOUSE 

ated  on  this  same  road  or  street.  Reporting 
my  return,  the  General  quietly  acknowledged 
my  salute  with  a  pleasant  nod,  saying,  in  reply 
to  my  inquiry,  that  just  then  he  had  no  imme- 
diate need  of  my  services.  I  saluted,  gave  my 
horse  to  an  orderly,  and  sat  down  on  the  grass 
with  the  rest  of  the  staff.  All  nodded  smilingly, 
one  or  two  of  my  especial  friends  leaned  over 
and  shook  hands  with  me,  but  not  much  was 
said,  for  we  were  a  tired  and  thoughtful  group. 

Conversation  was  carried  on  in  a  low  tone,  and 
I  was  told  of  the  blunder  of  one  of  the  Confederate 
regiments  in  firing  on  the  General  and  staff  after 
the  flag  of  truce  had  been  accepted.  I  also  heard 
that  General  Lee  was  then  up  at  the  little  village 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  General  Grant,  to  whom 
he  had  sent  a  note,  through  General  Sheridan,  re- 
questing a  meeting  to  arrange  terms  of  surren- 
der. Colonel  Newhall,  of  our  headquarters  staff, 
had  been  despatched  in  search  of  General  Grant, 
and  might  be  expected  up  at  almost  any  moment. 

It  was,  perhaps,  something  more  than  an  hour 
and  a  half  later,  to  the  best  of  my  recollection, 
that  General  Grant,  accompanied  by  Colonel 
Newhall,  and  followed  by  his  staff,  came  rap- 
idly riding  up  to  where  we  were  standing  by  the 
side  of  the  road,  for  we  had  all  risen  at  his  ap- 
proach. When  within  a  few  yards  of  us  he  drew 
rein,  and  halted  in  front  of  General  Sheridan, 
186 


at  Appomattox  court-house 

acknowledged  our  salute,  and  then,  leaning 
slightly  forward  in  his  saddle,  said,  in  his  usual 
quiet  tone,  "Good-morning,  Sheridan;  how  are 
you?" 

"  First-rate,  thank  you,  General,"  was  the  re- 
ply.    "  How  are  you?" 

General  Grant  nodded  in  return,  and  said, 
"Is  General  Lee  up  there?"  indicating  the  Court- 
house by  a  glance. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  response,  "  he's  there."  And 
then  followed  something  about  the  Confederate 
army,  but  I  did  not  clearly  catch  the  import 
of  the  sentence. 

*  Very  well,  then,"  said  General  Grant.  "  Let's 
go  up." 

General  Sheridan,  together  with  a  few  selected 
officers  of  his  staff,  mounted,  and  joined  General 
Grant  and  staff.  Together  they  rode  to  Mr. 
McLean's  house,  a  plain  two-story  brick  residence 
in  the  village,  to  which  General  Lee  had  already 
repaired,  and  where  he  was  known  to  be  awaiting 
General  Grant's  arrival.  Dismounting  at  the 
gate,  the  whole  party  crossed  the  yard,  and  the 
senior  officers  present  went  up  on  to  the  porch 
which  protected  the  front  of  the  house.  It  extend- 
ed nearly  across  the  entire  house  and  was  railed 
in,  except  where  five  or  six  steps  led  up  the  centre 
opposite  the  front  door,  which  was  flanked  by 
two  small  wooden  benches,  placed  close  against 
187 


AT  APPOMATTOX  COURT-HOUSE 

the  house  on  either  side  of  the  entrance.  The 
door  opened  into  a  hall  that  ran  the  entire  length 
of  the  house,  and  on  either  side  of  it  was  a  single 
room  with  a  window  in  each  end  of  it,  and  two 
doors,  one  at  the  front  and  one  at  the  rear  of  each 
of  the  rooms,  opening  on  the  hall.  The  room 
to  the  left,  as  you  entered,  was  the  parlor,  and 
it  was  in  this  room  that  General  Lee  was  awaiting 
General  Grant's  arrival. 

As  General  Grant  stepped  on  to  the  porch  he 
was  met  by  Colonel  Babcock,  of  his  staff,  who 
had  in  the  morning  been  sent  forward  with  a  mes- 
sage to  General  Lee.  He  had  found  him  resting 
at  the  side  of  the  road,  and  had  accompanied  him 
to  McLean's  house.* 

General  Grant  went  into  the  house  accom- 
panied by  General  Rawlins,  his  chief  of  staff; 
General   Seth   Williams,  his   adjutant-general; 

*  Captain  Amos  Webster,  of  General  Grant's  official  staff, 
was  present  on  this  occasion,  but  informs  me  that  he  did  not 
go  into  the  room.  Four  of  the  headquarters  staff  were  ab- 
sent, viz.,  General  C.  B.  Comstock,  who  had  been  sent  on 
a  special  mission  to  North  Carolina ;  General  F.  T.  Dent, 
who  was  left  in  charge  of  field  headquarters  during  General 
Grant's  absence ;  Captain  William  McKee  Dunn,  who  had 
been  sent  with  despatches  to  General  Meade;  and  Major 
George  K.  Leet,  A.A.G.,  who  was  in  Washington.  Not- 
withstanding all  the  various  engravings  that  have  been 
made  of  persons  who  were  in  the  room  at  Mr.  McLean's 
house  at  the  time  of  the  surrender,  I  have  named  all  who 
were  actually  present  in  the  room  at  any  time  during  the 
conference. 

188 


AT  APPOMATTOX  COURT-HOUSE 

General  Rufus  Ingalls,  his  quartermaster-gen- 
eral; and  his  two  aides,  General  Horace  Porter 
and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Babcock.  After  a  little 
time  General  Sheridan ;  General  M.  R.  Morgan, 
General  Grant's  chief  commissary;  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Ely  Parker,  his  military  secretary ;  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel T.  S.  Bowers,  one  of  his  assist- 
ant adjutants-general;  and  Captains  Robert  T. 
Lincoln  and  Adam  Badeau,  aides-de-camp,  went 
into  the  house  at  General  Grant's  express  invi- 
tation, sent  out,  I  believe,  through  Colonel  Bab- 
cock, who  came  to  the  hall-door  for  the  purpose, 
and  they  were,  I  was  afterwards  told,  formally 
presented  to  General  Lee.  After  a  lapse  of  a  few 
more  moments  quite  a  number  of  these  officers, 
including  General  Sheridan,  came  out  into  the 
hall  and  on  to  the  porch,  leaving  General  Grant 
and  General  Lee,  Generals  Rawlins,  Ingalls, 
Seth  Williams,  and  Porter,  and  Lieutenant-Col- 
onels Babcock,  Ely  Parker,  and  Bowers,  together 
with  Colonel  Marshall,  of  General  Lee's  staff,  in 
the  room,  while  the  terms  of  the  surrender  were 
finally  agreed  upon  and  formally  signed.  These 
were  the  only  officers,  therefore,  who  were  actu- 
ally present  at  the  official  surrender  of  the  Army 
of  Northern  Virginia. 

After  quite  a  length  of  time  Colonel  Babcock 
came  to  the  door  again,  opened  it,  and  glanced 
out.     As  he  did  so  he  placed  his  forage-cap  on 
189 


AT  APPOMATTOX  COURT-HOUSE 

one  finger,  twirled  it  around,  and  nodded  to  us 
all,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  It's  all  settled,"  and  said 
something  in  a  low  tone  to  General  Sheridan. 
Then  they,  accompanied  by  General  E.  0.  C. 
Ord,  the  commanding  general  of  the  Army  of 
the  James,  who  had  just  ridden  up  to  the  house, 
entered  the  house  together,  the  hall  door  being 
partly  closed  again  after  them,  leaving  quite  a 
number  of  us  staff-officers  upon  the  porch. 

While  the  conference  between  Generals  Grant 
and  Lee  was  still  in  progress,  Generals  Merritt 
and  Custer,  of  the  Cavalry  Corps,  and  several  of 
the  infantry  generals,  together  with  the  rest  of 
General  Sheridan's  staff-officers,  came  into  the 
yard,  and  some  of  them  came  up  on  the  porch. 
Colonel  Babcock  came  out  once  more,  and  Gen- 
eral Merritt  went  back  to  the  room  with  him  at 
his  request;  but  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  infantry 
generals  left  us  and  went  back  to  their  respec- 
tive commands  while  the  conference  was  still  in 
progress  and  before  it  ended. 

Just  to  the  right  of  the  house,  as  we  faced  it  on 
entering,  stood  a  soldierly  looking  orderly  in  a 
tattered  gray  uniform,  holding  three  horses — 
one  a  fairly  well-bred-looking  gray,  in  good  heart, 
though  thin  in  flesh,  which,  from  the  accoutre- 
ments, I  concluded,  belonged  to  General  Lee ;  the 
others,  a  thoroughbred  bay  and  a  fairly  good 
brown,  were  undoubtedly  those  of  the  staff-officer 
190 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

who  had  accompanied  General  Lee,  and  of  the  or- 
derly himself.  He  was  evidently  a  sensible  soldier, 
too,  for  as  he  held  the  bridles  he  baited  the  ani- 
mals on  the  young  grass,  and  they  ate  as  though 
they  needed  all  they  had  a  chance  to  pick  up. 

I  cannot  say  exactly  how  long  the  conference 
between  Generals  Grant  and  Lee  lasted,  but  after 
quite  a  while,  certainly  more  than  two  hours,  I 
became  aware  from  the  movement  of  chairs  with- 
in that  it  was  about  to  break  up.  I  had  been  sit- 
ting on  the  top  step  of  the  porch,  writing  in  my 
field  note-book,  but  I  closed  it  at  once,  and  step- 
ping back  on  the  porch  leaned  against  the  railing 
nearly  opposite  and  to  the  left  of  the  door,  and 
expectantly  waited.  As  I  did  so  the  inner  door 
slowly  opened,  and  General  Lee  stood  before  me. 
As  he  paused  for  a  few  seconds,  framed  in  by  the 
doorway,  ere  he  slowly  and  deliberately  stepped 
out  upon  the  porch,  I  took  my  first  and  last  look 
at  the  great  Confederate  chieftain.  This  is  what 
I  saw :  A  finely  formed  man,  apparently  about 
sixty  years  of  age,  well  above  the  average  height, 
with  a  clear,  ruddy  complexion — just  then  suf- 
fused by  a  deep  crimson  flush,  that  rising  from 
his  neck  overspread  his  face  and  even  slightly 
tinged  his  broad  forehead,  which,  bronzed  where 
it  had  been  exposed  to  the  weather,  was  clear 
and  beautifully  white  where  it  had  been  shielded 
by  his  hat — deep  brown  eyes,  a  firm  but  well- 
191 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

shaped  Roman  nose,  abundant  gray  hair,  silky 
and  fine  in  texture,  with  a  full  gray  beard  and 
mustache,  neatly  trimmed  and  not  over-long,  but 
which,  nevertheless,  almost  completely  concealed 
his  mouth.  A  splendid  uniform  of  Confederate 
gray  cloth,  that  had  evidently  seen  but  little 
service,  was  closely  buttoned  about  him,  and 
fitted  him  to  perfection.  An  exquisitely  mounted 
sword,  attached  to  a  gold-embroidered  Russia- 
leather  belt,  trailed  loosely  on  the  floor  at  his  side, 
and  in  his  right  hand  he  carried  a  broad-brimmed, 
soft,  gray  felt  hat,  encircled  by  a  golden  cord, 
while  in  his  left  he  held  a  pair  of  buckskin  gaunt- 
lets. Booted  and  spurred,  still  vigorous  and 
erect,  he  stood  bareheaded,  looking  out  of  the  open 
doorway,  sad-faced  and  weary:  a  soldier  and  a 
gentleman,  bearing  himself  in  defeat  with  an  all- 
unconscious  dignity  that  sat  well  upon  him. 

The  moment  the  open  door  revealed  the  Con- 
federate commander,  each  officer  present  sprang 
to  his  feet,  and  as  General  Lee  stepped  out  onto 
the  porch,  every  hand  was  raised  in  military  sa- 
lute. Placing  his  hat  on  his  head,  he  mechani- 
cally but  courteously  returned  it,  and  slowly 
crossed  the  porch  to  the  head  of  the  steps  lead- 
ing down  to  the  yard,  meanwhile  keeping  his 
eyes  intently  fixed  in  the  direction  of  the  little 
valley  over  beyond  the  Court-house,  in  which 
his  army  lay.  Here  he  paused,  and  slowly  drew 
192  _ 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

on  his  gauntlets,  smiting  his  gloved  hands  into 
each  other  several  times  after  doing  so,  evidently 
utterly  oblivious  of  his  surroundings.  Then,  ap- 
parently recalling  his  thougnts,  he  glanced  de- 
liberately right  and  left,  and  not  seeing  his  horse, 
he  called,  in  a  hoarse,  half-choked  voice,  "  Order- 
ly! Orderly!" 

"  Here,  General,  here,"  was  the  quick  response. 
The  alert  young  soldier  was  holding  the  Gen- 
eral's horse  near  the  side  of  the  house.  He  had 
taken  out  the  bit,  slipped  the  bridle  over  the 
horse's  neck,  and  the  wiry  gray  was  eagerly 
grazing  on  the  fresh  young  grass  about  him. 

Descending  the  steps  the  General  passed  to  the 
left  of  the  house,  and  stood  in  front  of  his  horse's 
head  while  he  was  being  bridled.  As  the  orderly 
was  buckling  the  throat  -  latch,  the  General 
reached  up  and  drew  the  forelock  out  from  under 
the  brow-band,  parted  and  smoothed  it,  and  then 
gently  patted  the  gray  charger's  forehead  in  an 
absent-minded  way,  as  one  who  loves  horses, 
but  whose  thoughts  are  far  away,  might  all  un- 
wittingly do.  Then,  as  the  orderly  stepped  aside, 
he  caught  up  the  bridle-reins  in  his  left  hand, 
and  seizing  the  pommel  of  the  saddle  with  the 
same  hand,  he  caught  up  the  slack  of  the  reins 
in  his  right  hand,  and  placing  it  on  the  cantle 
he  put  his  foot  in  the  stirrup,  and  swung  himself 
slowly  and  wearily,  but  nevertheless  firmly,  into 
N  193 


AT  APPOMATTOX  COURT-HOUSE 

the  saddle  (the  old  dragoon  mount),  letting  his 
right  hand  rest  for  an  instant  or  two  on  the  pom- 
mel as  he  settled  into  his  seat,  and  as  he  did  so 
there  broke  unguardedly  from  his  lips  a  long, 
low,  deep  sigh,  almost  a  groan  in  its  intensity, 
while  the  flush  on  his  neck  and  face  seemed,  if 
possible,  to  take  on  a  still  deeper  hue. 

Shortly  after  General  Lee  passed  down  the 
steps  he  was  followed  by  an  erect,  slightly  built, 
soldierly  looking  officer,  in  a  neat  but  somewhat 
worn  gray  uniform,  a  man  with  an  anxious  and 
thoughtful  face,  wearing  spectacles,  who  glanced 
neither  to  the  right  nor  left,  keeping  his  eyes 
straight  before  him.  Notwithstanding  this,  I 
doubt  if  he  missed  anything  within  the  range 
of  his  vision.  This  officer,  I  was  afterwards  told, 
was  Colonel  Marshall,  one  of  the  Confederate 
adjutants-general,  the  member  of  General  Lee's 
staff  whom  he  had  selected  to  accompany  him. 

As  soon  as  the  Colonel  had  mounted,  General 
Lee  drew  up  his  reins,  and,  with  the  Colonel  rid- 
ing on  his  left,  and  followed  by  the  orderly,  moved 
at  a  slow  walk  across  the  yard  towards  the  gate. 

Just  as  they  started,  General  Grant  came  out 
of  the  house,  crossed  the  porch,  and  passed  down 
the  steps  into  the  yard.  At  this  time  he  was 
nearly  forty-two  years  of  age,  of  middle  height, 
not  over-weighted  with  flesh,  but,  nevertheless, 
stockily  and  sturdily  built,  light  complexion, 
194 


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DEPARTURE  OF  GENERAL  LEE  AFTER  THE  SURRENDER 


AT  APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE 

mild,  gray-blue  eyes,  finely  formed  Grecian  nose, 
an  iron-willed  mouth,  brown  hair,  full  brown 
beard  with  a  tendency  toward  red  rather  than 
black,  and  in  his  manner  and  all  his  movements 
there  was  a  strength  of  purpose,  a  personal  poise, 
and  a  cool,  quiet  air  of  dignity,  decision,  and  sol- 
dierly confidence  that  were  very  good  to  see.  On 
this  occasion  he  wore  a  plain  blue  army  blouse, 
with  shoulder-straps  set  with  three  silver  stars 
equi-distant,  designating  his  rank  as  Lieutenant- 
General  commanding  the  armies  of  the  United 
States;  it  was •  unbuttoned,  showing  a  blue  mil- 
itary vest,  over  which  and  under  his  blouse  was 
buckled  a  belt,  but  he  was  without  a  sword.  His 
trousers  were  dark  blue  and  tucked  into  top-boots, 
which  were  without  spurs,  but  heavily  splashed 
with  mud,  for  once  he  knew  that  General  Lee  was 
waiting  for  him  at  Appomattox  Court-house,  he 
had  ridden  rapidly  across  country,  over  road  and 
field  and  through  woods,  to  meet  him.  He  wore  a 
peculiar  stiff-brimmed,  sugar-loaf-crowned,  cam- 
paign hat  of  black  felt,  and  his  uniform  was 
partly  covered  by  a  light-weight,  dark  blue,  wa- 
ter-proof, semi-military  overcoat,  with  a  full  cape, 
unbuttoned  and  thrown  back,  showing  the  front 
of  his  uniform,  for  while  the  day  had  developed 
into  warm,  bright,  and  beautifully  sunny  weather, 
the  early  morning  had  been  damp,  slightly  foggy, 
and  presaged  rain. 

i95 


AT  APPOMATTOX  COURT-HOUSE 

As  he  reached  the  foot  of  the  steps  and  started 
across  the  yard  to  the  fence,  where,  inside  the 
gate,  the  orderlies  were  holding  his  horse  and 
those  of  several  of  his  staff-officers,  General  Lee, 
on  his  way  to  the  gate,  rode  across  his  path.  Stop- 
ping suddenly,  General  Grant  looked  up,  and 
both  generals  simultaneously  raised  their  hands 
in  military  salute.  After  General  Lee  had  passed, 
General  Grant  crossed  the  yard  and  sprang  lightly 
and  quickly  into  his  saddle.  He  was  riding  his 
splendid  bay  horse  Cincinnati,  and  it  would  have 
been  difficult  to  find  a  firmer  seat,  a  lighter  hand, 
or  a  better  rider  in  either  army. 

As  he  was  about  to  go  out  of  the  gate  he  halted, 
turned  his  horse,  and  rode  at  a  walk  towards  the 
porch  of  the  house,  where,  among  others,  stood 
General  Sheridan  and  myself.  Stopping  in  front 
of  the  General,  he  said,  "  Sheridan,  where  will 
you  make  your  headquarters  to-night?" 

"  Here,  or  near  here ;  right  here  in  this  yard, 
probably,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Very  well,  then ;  I'll  know  where  to  find  you 
in  case  I  wish  to  communicate.     Good-day." 

"  Good-day,  General,"  was  the  response,  and 
with  a  military  salute  General  Grant  turned  and 
rode  away. 

As  he  rode  forward  and  halted  at  the  porch  to 
make  this  inquiry,  I  had  my  wished-for  oppor- 
tunity, but  my  eyes  sought  his  face  in  vain  for 
196 


AT  APPOMATTOX  COURT-HOUSE 

any  indication  of  what  was  passing  in  his  mind. 
Whatever  may  have  been  there,  as  Colonel  New- 
hall  has  well  written,  *  not  a  muscle  of  his  face 
told  tales  on  his  thoughts  ";  and  if  he  felt  any 
elation,  neither  his  voice,  features,  nor  his  eyes 
betrayed  it.  Once  out  of  the  gate,  General 
Grant,  followed  by  his  staff,  turned  to  the  left 
and  moved  off  at  a  rapid  trot. 

General  Lee  continued  on  his  way  towards  his 
army  at  a  walk,  to  be  received  by  his  devoted 
troops  with  cheers  and  tears,  and  to  sit  down  and 
pen  a  farewell  order  that,  to  this  day,  no  old  sol- 
dier of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  can  read 
without  moistening  eyes  and  swelling  throat. 

General  Grant,  on  his  way  to  his  field  head- 
quarters on  this  eventful  Sunday  evening,  dis- 
mounted, sat  quietly  down  by  the  road-side,  and 
wrote  a  short  and  simple  despatch,  which  a  gal- 
loping aide  bore  full  speed  to  the  nearest  tele- 
graph station,  that  on  its  reception  in  the  na- 
tion's capital  was  flashed  over  the  wires  to  every 
hamlet  in  the  country,  causing  every  steeple  in 
the  North  to  rock  to  its  foundation,  and  sent  one 
tall,  gaunt,  sad-eyed,  weary-hearted  man  in 
Washington  to  his  knees,  thanking  God  that 
he  had  lived  to  see  the  beginning  of  the  end,  and 
that  he  had  at  last  been  vouchsafed  the  assur- 
ance that  he  had  led  his  people  aright. 

THE  END 


